Khaberni - The Irbid Agriculture Department announced on Sunday the date for the seventeenth annual Pomegranate and Rural Products Festival, which will be held from October 23 to 25 at the Arabella Mall square.
The Director of Agriculture, Abdul Hafeez Abu Arabi, stated that the choice of location came after it was impossible to hold the festival at the permanent exhibition for agricultural and rural products in King Abdullah Gardens, due to not formally receiving it yet, and its unpreparedness to host any exhibitions before completing the setup and delivery processes.
He added that the festival will witness the participation of 350 participants, including 100 farmers, alongside women owning productive kitchens, local and traditional foods, and various handicrafts.
He pointed out that the land area planted with pomegranates in Irbid Governorate is estimated to be around 2000 to 2500 dunums, and the production is estimated between 6 to 8 thousand tons annually, most of which are concentrated in the districts of Bani Kinana and Al-Koura.
In turn, the chairman of the Kafrsoum Cooperative Agricultural Association for Pomegranate Producers, Ahed Obeidat, indicated that the Pomegranate Festival presents a real opportunity to benefit from the pomegranate and its products, which include 16 types distributed among Turkish delight, molasses, vinegar, jam, soap, perfumes, pomegranate peels, pomegranate seeds, pomegranate oil, and other handcrafted and natural varieties, which enjoy significant and varied therapeutic benefits.
Obeidat confirmed that pomegranate farmers in the town of Kafrsoum form a fundamental part of the festival since its inception, having made significant efforts to ensure its success and continuity in cooperation with the Irbid Directorate of Agriculture, pointing out that the production of the town of Kafrsoum alone reaches about 3 thousand tons of pomegranates annually.
