Jordan marks national olive day

AMMAN — The government’s designation of November 1 as a national day for olive picking was a result of its awareness of the sector’s importance from economic, social, cultural and environmental point of views, Agriculture Minister Khaled Hneifat said on Wednesday.

Deputising for Prime Minister Hani Mulki, Hneifat inaugurated the ceremony marking the day, which aims at instilling the values of cooperation and solidarity among all classes of society, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The total area planted with olives in Jordan stands at 1.26 million dunums, constituting 77 per cent of the Kingdom’s area planted with fruit trees, the minister noted. Figures for the current season estimate the total amount of olives at 252,000 tonnes, 50,000 tonnes of which are expected to be used for pickling and the rest to produce some 36,000 tonnes of olive oil, according to Petra.