Olive oil sales in Al Jabal Al Akhdar region exceeded OMR 1 million last year

Muscat: The amount of olive oil produced in the Al Jabal Al Akhdar region of the Al Dakhiliyah Governorate last season reached 90,000 liters, valued at OMR 1,035,000 , according to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.The Ministry is currently preparing for the olive harvest season in Al Jabal Al Akhdar by monitoring olive presses and ensuring their readiness. This includes providing suitable areas for receiving the olives, ensuring proper storage, and verifying the equipment used for bottling and preserving the oil. Engineer Saud bin Hamed Al Mayahi, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, stated that the olive harvest season in the region begins at the start of September and continues until the end of November each year. He added that the number of fruit trees in Jabal Akhdar exceeds 20,000, noting that the Department of Agricultural Wealth and Water Resources in Jabal Akhdar implements extension programs through field visits, training courses, and dialogue sessions. These programs focus on best practices in irrigation, fertilization, and pest and disease control, in addition to providing improved seedlings, technical services, and monitoring tree health. They also provide high-quality olive seedlings of varieties with high oil content, aiming to increase production efficiency, improve oil quality, expand cultivated areas, and rationalize water use.Al Mayahi explained that the Jabal Akhdar olive industry includes several processing industries, such as packaging according to modern standards and the production of pickled olives, with opportunities for expansion into other industries, including cosmetics and natural soaps.Al Mayahi pointed out that the Department of Agricultural Wealth and Water Resources in Jabal Akhdar is working to create opportunities for marketing the product both domestically and internationally. This includes providing seedlings of varieties suitable for the mountain's environment and expanding olive cultivation by encouraging agricultural investment and allocating land for cultivation in suitable locations, in line with food security and sustainable agricultural development plans. Engineer Saud bin Hamed Al Mayahi, Director of the Department of Agricultural Wealth and Water Resources in the state of Al Jabal Al Akhdar, confirmed that the impact of the olive harvest season is not limited to the agricultural aspect only, but has become a tourist attraction in the state, through their viewing of the picking and pressing of the fruits and learning about the experience of producing local olive oil, which enhances agricultural tourism and supports the economic movement.