The municipality of Bchaaleh requested harvesters to protect the olive trees from damage caused by traditional harvesting practices.
Harvesting – which represents between 30 and 50% of olive oil’s cost – is done manually in Lebanon using combs. This achieves a production rate of 50-60 kg per day. Some growers beat the tree with a stick to increase their harvesting yield; however, such practices destroy new shoots that will flower and bear the olive fruit next season, decreasing the orchard’s production and productivity levels in subsequent years by as much as 80%.
SEAL provided 12 battery-operated zero-emission mechanical harvesters. They are environmentally friendly, usable in various terrains, and specifically designed to avoid damaging the trees.
