Since 2020 HollandDoor has been leading a multiyear project in the olive oil sector in the northern governorates of the Palestinian Territories. Together with implementation partners Mount of Green Olives (MGO), Wageningen Social & Economic Research and the Palestine Standards Institution (PSI), HollandDoor aims to help all stakeholders in the Palestinian olive oil sector achieve greater profitability and adopt more sustainable practices. The project offers training, advice and investments in new technologies, resulting in narrowing production and productivity gaps, improving olive oil quality, reducing losses and strengthening cooperation among key stakeholders.
From the outset, the project faced various obstacles, starting with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The outbreak of the Gaza conflict in October 2023 paralyzed all project activities for approximately six months. Some activities resumed in the first half of 2024, albeit under deteriorating security and travel conditions. Although full security never returned, the project team was able to intensify its efforts in 2025, with Dutch experts making sporadic visits to the region. However, just as optimistic plans were being made for the project’s final year in 2026, hostilities flared up with the war involving Iran, once again impacting daily life throughout the Middle East.
Despite the sometimes hopeless circumstances for businesses and individuals in Palestine, the Palestinian project beneficiaries greatly appreciate this intervention. This goes beyond receiving new knowledge, insights or resources such as harvesting tools, transport crates, storage tanks or even a new factory. The Palestinian stakeholders in the value chain know that they are seen and heard. For that reason alone, HollandDoor is grateful to be part of this programme.
“Innovating the value chain of Palestinians olives” is made possible thanks to co-financing from the Sustainable Development Goals Partnership Facility (SDGP) of the Netherlands.
For more information, please contact Jos Leeters
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