2020 olive oil production stood between 23,000 and 24,000 tonnes — syndicate

AMMAN — The Kingdom’s olive oil production in 2020 ranged between 23,000 and 24,000 tonnes, according to olive oil producers and mill owners syndicate spokesperson Nidal Samain.

There have been daunting challenges in the wake of the pandemic, but field and mill workers have complied with physical distancing measures and safety guidelines, which helped in creating a safe environment, according to Samain.

“There are high potentials for further sector growth and the situation amid the pandemic has been alright,” Samain said, adding that “there has been effective cooperation between the syndicate and the governmental entities”.

The Kingdom’s olive oil is mainly exported to Gulf countries, Samain noted. Regarding other export destinations, he added that market entry conditions must be viewed first.

There are about 5,000 tonnes of olive oil left from 2019, the syndicate’s spokesperson noted, adding that although the pandemic led to a decrease in consumer demand, olive oil remains highly consumed in most households in Jordan.

According to a 2018 report issued by the Department of Statistics (DoS), the total olive-growing area in the Kingdom stood at 566,000 dunums in 2018, which covers about 72 per cent of the total area planted with fruit trees in Jordan.

Until 2018, there had been approximately 10.6 million planted olive trees, the report added.

Bayan Khalid, a Jordanian citizen, told The Jordan Times over the phone on Wednesday that Jordan’s olive oil is of high quality and has a “special flavour”, noting that every year her family buys four tin containers which last for the whole year.

“Maybe during the lockdown period there has been a rise in domestic olive oil consumption, but in general, the use of olives and olive oil is traditionally high in Jordan and the Levant,” Khalid said.

As for Noor Awad, another citizen, she said that she starts the day with olives, zaatar (thyme), bread and olive oil.

“Even though the pandemic could have impacted the consumer demand, I believe that olive oil industry would prove resilient, because olive oil is an essential staple in the Kingdom,” she added.