Khaberni - Jerash Governor Dr. Malik Kharisat, chaired a meeting today, Thursday, with olive press owners in the province, totaling 15 presses, in the presence of the head of the Environment and Nature Protection Department at the Directorate of Public Security, adding during the meeting that the olive presses will open on the 15th of this month.
He emphasized that any press accepting olive fruits before this date will be fined.
He mentioned that inspection committees will conduct field tours to ensure presses comply with public safety regulations, pointing out that administrative governors will be tasked with overseeing the workflow and receiving complaints and observations from farmers and press owners.
Kharisat stated that strict administrative procedures would be taken against anyone proven to be involved in oil adulteration, noting that advertisements on social media related to selling olive oil will be monitored to ensure their safety and compliance with specifications.
He added that olive sludge transport tanks will be under strict surveillance to ensure their loads are unloaded at the Akider landfill, with legal actions taken against violators.
Abdul Latif Al-Ashqar, the director of the Food and Drug Institution's office, said that oil containers for the current season had the press name printed on them to prevent tampering or fraud, pointing out that press owners are prohibited from selling empty containers outside of the presses.
He also stressed the necessity of documenting invoices that include the name of the press, the name of the farmer or trader, the quantity of oil produced, and the number of containers.
In turn, Jerash's Director of Environment, Dalal Freihat, stated that wastewater transport tanks, including olive sludge, are subject to electronic tracking (GPS) to ensure compliance with unloading their loads at designated sites, confirming that violations are directly referred to the administrative governor for legal action against them.
Jerash's Director of Agriculture, Ola Mohasneh, mentioned that the licensing period for olive presses had been extended until the ninth of this month, with ten out of fifteen presses completing the licensing procedures.
She added that about 123,000 dunums are planted with olive trees in the province, out of a total area of 409,000 dunums, making Jerash one of the most prominent provinces in olive oil production and richest in its presses.
