Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Promising future for olive cultivation in Sultanate

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Muscat: Olive harvest and the oil-extraction season will begin at the end of August in villages of Al Jabal Al Akhdar (The Green Mountain) in the Governorate of A’Dakhiliyah.


The olive mill of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources began in the Seih Qatna in  Al Jabal Al Akhdar to receive the first production from farmers in the wilayats of Izki, Ibri, Bahla, and Nizwa.


The olive trees that were brought to these wilayats, which are suitable for the Sultanate’s climate, were successfully cultivated.


Eng. Salim bin Rashid al-Tobi, director of the Agricultural Development Department in Al Jabal Al Akhdar said, “Usually the olive harvest season starts at the end of August every year. In addition to the efforts of the Ministry and its mill, the private sector plays a clear role in supporting efforts to benefit from olive production through setting up a mill two seasons ago, to serve farmers. The mill will receive on 28 August the olive crop from all villages of Al Jabal Al Akhdar and the residential areas, whether in agricultural lands or home gardens”.


He pointed out that when the ministry adopted the project for olive oil extraction and planting its trees, the goal was to introduce its cultivation in home gardens and not in agricultural lands currently growing fruit trees. This goal has been achieved as the production rates increased in the past years. The production reached in 2019 more than 60 tonnes, and 8028 litres of oil were extracted”.


Al-Tobi added, "The olive harvest season will continue until December, depending on the variety of the olive species. The increase in the number of olive trees and the farmers' care for them prove that olive will represent a rewarding economic return, along with other fruit trees in the villages of Al Jabal Al Akhdar."


He further said, "The introduction of olive trees cultivation in low-lying areas such as the wilayats of Izki, Ibri, Bahla and Nizwa has achieved success during the past years, and the production has increased in good quantities in 2020 through identifying good varieties for extracting oil or for making vinegar”.


Regarding olive tree production, Dr. Qais bin Saif al-Ma’awali, Director of Agricultural Development Department in Samad A’Shan in the Governorate of North A’Sharqiyah said, “The ability of the olive tree to produce acceptable and marketable olives in terms of fruit size, shape and colour has become clear, especially if it has relatively cold weather, as the olive tree needs less than 200 cooler hours to break the dormancy. So, if it is planted in a suitable place and in cooler weather in comparison to the interior region of the Sultanate with average minimum temperatures between 8 or 10 degrees Celsius during winter, it would have been enough for the tree to break the dormancy. I expect a bright future for the olive tree in terms of ability to produce high-quality fruits in commercial quantities".


The statistics available with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources indicate that the number of olive trees in Al Jabal Al Akhdar is more than 15,000 trees. The olive tree has adapted to the harsh, dry climates and the scarcity of water.


Because of the benefits of olive oil, this tree has received great care from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources by adopting the olive oil extraction project, which had a great impact on pushing citizens to take adequate care of this tree and its exploitation economically, besides other fruit trees grown in Al Jabal Al Akhdar. ONA


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