Blog
Sarah Tarhini

Good News! The Olive Groves in Deir Mimas Are Thriving

One of the many forms of aggression faced by our beloved south is ecocide. Following over 1,000 attacks using white phosphorous, approximately 60,000 olive trees were damaged, and 2.8 square kilometers were burned. But we’re happy to report some good news: the olive groves of Deir Mimas are thriving!

Award-winning Lebanese olive oil brand Darmmess, which harvests its liquid gold from the olive groves of Deir Mimas, recently conducted a thorough analysis to test the soil quality in the village after the violent attacks. Here are the results!

They wrote on Instagram: “After thorough analysis of our plots, we can confirm that the soil quality is strong and well-suited for our beloved fruit trees and olives. The results indicate that the levels of heavy metals and phosphorus fall within the normal range established for southern Lebanese soils since 1977.”

The analysis was conducted at the American University of Beirut’s LEAF (the Laboratories for Environment, Agriculture, and Food). Darmmess considered this finding both a testament to the resilience of the land. They remain committed to excellence, even amid challenges.

Back in September, two facilities for olive processing and storage in a neighboring village were subjected to enemy shelling. This attack resulted in the complete destruction of their equipment and materials, leaving the facilities in ruins.

The ongoing shelling has also made reaching the olive groves extremely dangerous. This prevented olive farmers from participating in this season’s harvest. As a result, the olive oil brand will not be able to produce oil this year.

If you enjoyed this read, you might also like: “If my olives are good, I’m good”: Lebanon’s Farmers Face War and Loss