“We will stay here as long as there are thyme and olives”, a historical slogan that Palestinians chant as a metaphor for their steadfastness and clinging to their land. However, besides being a national symbol, thyme is a product of a great economic value, as the net profit of one dunam (.25 acre) of thyme is estimated to be two thousand NIS per month.

Nablus- Palestine Economy Portal | Baker Atili- Palestinians knew thyme for all of their lives, andit has always bloomed there despite theIsraeli occupation of the land. But these historical and national bonds between Palestinians and thyme never encouraged them to make it a Palestinian trademark that distinguishes them from others, and they were not aware ofthe importance of this plant like the Israeli occupation, who arecurrently leading thyme exporters in the world.

Palestinians knew different kinds of thyme, especially wild thyme, and they used it in their food and traditional cuisine, and even as a therapy. But Palestinian farmers understood the importance of its cultivation only a few years ago, when they discovered its economic viability on the individual level.

Why thyme?

Abdul Hafeeth Khaled from Jayous, a farmer since 1985, affirms that the reason why he chose to grow thyme is refraining from planting citrus trees because of their poor economic viability, caused by the high costs of water and fertilizers, in addition to the intense competition of the Israeli products.

Khaled says: “growing thyme is more economically viable in terms of production and costs, in addition to the growing demand for this plant and its fast production.It can cover its setup costs from the first year of production.”

Khaled,calling on officials to take advantage of the farmers’ experiments and develop them, assures that growing thyme to him is “tradition, economy, and an essential Palestinian product that can bring benefits to us. Thyme can be exported, and it can bring great income for the individual and the state.”

Regarding the economic viability of thyme, Khaled says: “each dunam costs about 5000 NIS, and can restore capital in 9 to 12 months, and still produce up to seven additional years; with an estimated average production of 500-800 kilograms in each dunam, and an estimated net profit of 2000 NIS per month.”

According to NaimNassr, owner of Al-Nassrfactories for thyme manufacturing and exporting, there are 6,000 dunams planted with thyme in northern West Bank.With a simple calculation, one can find out that Palestinian farmers working in thyme cultivation earn an estimated amount of 144 million NIS annually.”

Obstacles and a Promising Future

Dr. Jihad Ibrahim, agricultural expert and consultant in the Ministry of Agriculture, believes that thyme has a promising future in the West Bank. He says: “In the coming years, thyme will witness great development as the global market needs its several kinds.”

Ibrahim attributes this growing demand to “the crisis in Syria which cast a shadow over the global market of medicinal plants, especially thyme, as the demand for it increased as well as the number of producers and exporters. The number of farmers and planted areas have also doubled.”

Ibrahim says: “Thyme makes good profit, it regains its capital quickly, and keeps on producing for seven years, with an average of one harvest each forty days. It is also characterized with its resistance to pests and diseases.”

He adds: “Despite the large number of exporting intermediaries, there is a demand for the different kinds of thyme, not only what is locally known here; butthere are no research centers for the hybridization and development of the globally demanded plant.”

However, although the development of this agricultural sector faces many obstacles,Ibrahim believes that “We have the potential to compete in the production of the raw material, therefore; we have to transfer this sector from wild agriculture to a research-based and organized one.”

When asked about the complaints of thyme planters, claiming that they do not receive enough attention, Ibrahim said: “the role of the ministry of agriculture is to facilitate exporting of products,and direct the civil society institutions to support thyme planters. In addition, it shoulddirecting the Palestinian businessmen to invest in this sector, as well as adopt medicinal plants projects and expand them, especially thyme.”

He adds: “the agreements signed by the Ministry of Agriculture with several countries facilitate the process of exporting products.”

Ibrahim acknowledges that: “farmers are often more creative and innovative than the state,” but he asserts that “the ministry seeks to create projects that use thyme remnants by extracting oil from them and using it in producing medicine.”

He finally said: “with our partners, we work on importing machines that extract medical raw materials from thyme and medical plants, such as oil and powder; as we are now working on exporting green thyme. We also expect to have the potential to produce raw materials extracted from thyme and medical plants within the course of two years.”