10% of olives picked so far, says syndicate spokesperson

AMMAN — Since the start of the olive harvest season in mid-October, around 10 per cent of olives have been picked for oil production and other purposes, according to Olive Oil Producers and Mill Owners Syndicate Spokesperson Mahmoud Al Omari.

Locally, there are around 20 million olive trees, he said. Ten per cent of the Kingdom’s are pickled, and the remaining are pressed in 138 mills across the country, Omari added, noting that investment in local olive oil mills is estimated at around JD200 million.

“Until now, demand for olive oil is moderate when compared with the same period in 2021,” Omari told The Jordan Times. However, he noted that pickling factories have taken large amounts of olives, as demand for pickles in the Gulf countries has soared.

The spokesperson added that over the next two weeks, demand for olive oil is projected to increase.

“Olive fruits are now ripe and ready to be picked,” he said, adding that this season, oil concentration has increased when compared with previous seasons.

He also advised residents and consumers to purchase oil specifically from the 138 authorised mills across the country.

According to the Department of Statistics (DoS), Jordan is the eighth greatest olive oil producing country in the world.