Jordan HortiFuture Project participates at 23rd National Olive Oil Festival in collaboration with NARC

AMMAN — The Jordan HortiFuture Project participated in the 23rd National Olive Festival and Rural Products Exhibition on Thursday in collaboration with the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) and the Ministry of Agriculture, along with various local and international partners. The primary objective is to enhance the horticulture value chain for smallholder farmers, promoting efficiency and inclusivity on a larger scale.

Nizar Haddad, director general at NARC, stated, “More than 500 farmers, associations, schools, companies, and olive mills are taking part in the festival’s activities,” Haddad also mentioned that there will be laboratory tests on olive oil for quality assurance as per international standards.

Tala Momani, agriculture and value chain senior adviser at Mercy Corps, noted that HortiFuture programme looks forward to The National Olive Oil Festival each year, consistently supporting this platform. It serves as a key catalyst for building essential connections and sales channels, benefiting agricultural corporations, small farmers, and home-based businesses across the Kingdom, according to a Mercy Corps statement. 

Jordan HortiFuture Project led by Mercy Corps in partnership with Wageningen University and Research, and Advance Consulting and funded by the embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands is supporting NARC in the activities and implementation of the festival. 

The festival is a venue to increase market linkages, heighten public awareness, incentivise olive oil producers and value chains to improve the overall quality of their products and promote the newly established oil niche produced from olive oil trees.

The 23rd National Olive Festival will continue until December 2, 2023, at Mecca Mall. The festival showcases a diverse array of regional dishes and crafts, with a special focus on olive oil, the statement said.