Khaberni - The Jerash Agriculture Directorate estimated a decrease in olive fruit production in the region this season to about 90% compared to last year, explaining that the estimates were based on periodic statistics conducted by the Directorate and monitoring the quantities received at the presses.
Jerash Agriculture Directorate head, Ola Mahasneh, said on Thursday that about 1200 tons of olive fruits and about 180 tons of olive oil are expected to be produced this season. She noted that the area planted with olive trees within the province is about 123,000 dunams, according to the Kingdom.
Mahasneh added that the province has several types of olive trees such as "Al-Qubaisi" and "Improved Syrian" among many other varieties, clarifying that the Directorate, through its Agricultural Extension Department, conducts a number of tours to provide advice and guidance to farmers.
Mahasneh pointed out the importance of communicating with farmers and providing them technical advice to improve the quality of the produced oil and reduce the acidity level, in addition to improving farmers’ revenues by reducing losses and providing more organized marketing channels.
Mahasneh indicated that the Directorate has completed all its projects from the allocations of the Provincial Council for the current year, which included distributing productive kitchens, establishing and lining irrigation channels, and water harvesting projects.
