No Result
View All Result
Friday, August 8, 2025
23 °c
Tripoli
24 ° Sat
24 ° Sun
  • Advertising
  • Contact
LibyaHerald
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
LibyaHerald
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

Libyan Food Expo strong on its third day

byNihal Zaroug
June 19, 2013
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
Libyan Food Expo strong on its third day

Libyan Rawasi pasta manufacturer is already manufacturing and is about to open a new factory (Photo: Sami Zaptia).

By Nihal Zaroug and Reem Tombokti.

Libyan olive oil producers claim their oil is better quality than Tunisian oil, but that they lack the marketing experience to export it (Photo: Sami Zaptia).

Tripoli, 19 June 2013:

The Libyan Food Expo at Tripoli International Fair was still active yesterday, . . .[restrict]its third day, with exhibitors welcoming visitors to see and sample products.

At the Libyan producers pavilion, Hamid Taher, enthusiastically invited the Libya Herald to taste the “best olive oil in Libya.” The southern producer owns 3,500 olive trees is Sabha, where he picks olives off his farm and sends it to be pressed in Samnou, an area in close proximity to Sabha. The quality of Libyan olive oil claims Taher, is better than the Tunisian oil sold in Libya, as it is only pressed once.

However, despite the claim of superior quality of oil, Taher has not been able to secure sales outside of Libya, and adds that competing locally with Tunisian olive oil has not been easy. To create employment and encourage local olive oil producers, he believes that only Libyan oil should be sold in the country.

RELATED POSTS

Libya’s Best Olive Oil 2024‎ winners announced

LEPC: Olive oil laboratory ready for international accreditation

A statement repeated to the Libya Herald in a discussion with Basher Hadya, the head of studies and researchers department at the Libyan Export Promotion Center (LEPC). Similar to Taher, Basher believes that Libyan olive oil, and dates should have no foreign competition.

Libya has an abundance of both and at times, farmers have been forced to scrap produce due to a lack of buyers. Hayda states, by some estimates there is over 22 million liters of local olive oil during high season but vast quantities of it do not make it on supermarket shelves.

Enforcing a ban on imported olive oil and dates, as a measure to promote local produce, is a policy the Government should adopt, says Hayda. He adds, that for Libyan products to be successful on local and foreign markets, the Government must provide more support to growers and manufactures. However, locals businesses are looking for more than monetary aid and subsidies, they also need direction and capacity building, concludes Hadya.

The LEPC handles portfolios of around 600 companies, and within the food industry, it works to assist not only olive oil and date producers, but also honey, fish and traditional goods producers. The Center’s main role is to help source local buyers and foreign markets but also provides a spectrum of other services including assisting in participation of international fairs, quality certification and business development.

Rawasi brand Libyan pasta manufacturer said that they were already exporting and were about to open a new factory (Photo: Sami Zaptia).

 

Libyan pasta maker Rawasi, was being less reliant on the services of LEPC. It currently operates a plant in Tripoli’s Tajoura area and imports all its raw ingredients from Italy. Rawasi plans to open a second factory in Benghazi to solely manufacture a variety of spaghettis. It currently makes 14 different kinds of pasta at its Tripoli plant. The company has been operational since the end of the revolution but will start store sales in Libya during Ramadan. Unlike other local producers at the expo, the pasta manufacturer is already selling its products abroad in Chad and Niger.

Alruttab Sons have yet to export large quantities of their premium honey. Despite having a wide variety of honey and honey bi-products, Ahmed Salem, tells Libya Herald, only a few kilos of honey have been sold in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Palestine. Such small quantities, says LPTEC ‘s head of studies and researches, are not significant and are typically intended for promotional use.

In Libya, Alruttab Sons is well established and as we spoke with Salem, visitors stopped and bought jars of Sidr (Lote tree) honey valued at 20 dinars per kilo. Sidr honey is known for its taste and medicinal properties, and Salem expects honey sales to continue rising during Ramadan. Asked if the recent fires in Emsallata and Jabel Al-Akdar, two areas where Alruttab harvests honey, affected their operations, Salem said lowered honey output was due to bad weather conditions and other circumstances unrelated to the devastating fires.

For Czech breakfast cereal manufactures Emco, the Libyan market is looking promising. Based on the success of Emco in Morocco and Egypt, senior export manager Ludek Spejzl, believes cereal sales in Libya will be rewarding. Initial market testing in Tripoli, Benghazi and Misrata, indicate enthusiasm for their product, as they are competitively priced and of a quality comparable to the top brands currently sold, says Spejzl. Emco has opted to use the port of Misrata, instead of the congested port of Tripoli to import their goods.

V&F Portelli, a Maltese company exhibiting organic foods, beverages and snacks for children, is looking to introduce Organix to the Libyan market for the first time. The novel products have been embraced by hospital chief Ali Emgadmy, says Mario Portelli, particularly the gluten free range, as there is a lack of choice for kids. Portelli, adds that all of Organix’s products are naturally coloured, flavored, sugar free or have no added salt. With a rise in child obesity rates, Organix may be just what the doctor ordered.

 

The Libyan Food Expo started on 16 June and ends today. [/restrict]

Tags: datesFood ExpohoneyLibyan exportsolive oilpastatripoli international fair

Related Posts

Water shortage for two days in parts of Tripoli
Business

Man-made River Authority repairs 28 wells after electric shock puts all 34 operating water wells out of service

August 8, 2025
Visiting Jordanian specialists perform 18 infertility and delayed childbearing operations in Zintan Hospital
Business

Ministry of Health discusses ways to enhance health cooperation‎ with the Ambassador of Serbia

August 8, 2025
Sirte and BACB to improve cooperation
Business

Sirte Oil Company production up 8,000 to 110,000 bpd – the highest in more than 20 years

August 7, 2025
CBL receives results from meetings with international banks
Business

International information received on suspicious activities passing through Libyan financial system: CBL

August 7, 2025
Economy Minister Hwej reviews his ministry’s implementation of its 2023 plan and issues several directives
Business

Minister of Economy discusses regulating priorities of market needs and import budget

August 6, 2025
Economy Minister Hwej reviews his ministry’s implementation of its 2023 plan and issues several directives
Business

Minister of Economy discusses trade movement through Ras Jedir Libyan Tunisian land border

August 6, 2025
Next Post

UN told that Libya’s transition will remain difficult and that Political Isolation Law violates civil rights.

Huge explosion flattens Benghazi police station – no casualties reported

Huge explosion flattens Benghazi police station - no casualties reported

ADVERTISEMENT

Top Stories

  • LAIP delegation visits Maputo, Mozambique to recover seized rice project

    LAIP to focus on several internal investment projects – to improve quality of life and local development

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • CBL to bring FX rate of dinar to less than LD 7 per US$: CBL Governor Issa

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • NOC signs MoU with Exxon Mobil – returning to Libya after a 10-year hiatus

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Tripoli Defence Ministry warns of unspecified precision air strikes against human smugglers and drug traffickers

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • International information received on suspicious activities passing through Libyan financial system: CBL

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
ADVERTISEMENT
LibyaHerald

The Libya Herald first appeared on 17 February 2012 – the first anniversary of the Libyan Revolution. Since then, it has become a favourite go-to source on news about Libya, for many in Libya and around the world, regularly attracting millions of hits.

Recent News

Man-made River Authority repairs 28 wells after electric shock puts all 34 operating water wells out of service

Ministry of Health discusses ways to enhance health cooperation‎ with the Ambassador of Serbia

Sitemap

  • Why subscribe?
  • Terms & Conditions
  • FAQs
  • Copyright & Intellectual Property Rights
  • Subscribe now

Newsletters

    Be the first to know latest important news & events directly to your inbox.

    Sending ...

    By signing up, I agree to our TOS and Privacy Policy.

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password? Sign Up

    Create New Account!

    Fill the forms below to register

    *By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
    All fields are required. Log In

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In
    No Result
    View All Result
    • Login
    • Sign Up
    • Libya
    • Business
    • Advertising
    • About us
    • BusinessEye Magazine
    • Letters
    • Features
    • Why subscribe?
    • FAQs
    • Contact

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.