After the hardship of protecting their trees from theft, and a long wait for what they call the "olive rain," olive farmers in Ajloun Governorate are preparing their harvesting equipment. They confirm the fruit has reached the right stage of ripeness and that recent rains were enough to wash off the dust and dirt clinging to it. This encouraged them to get ready to start the season, especially since they spent much of the early part of this month guarding their farms from thieves who have long been in the habit of stealing the fruit.
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Some residents began picking their trees at the start of the month, fearing the fruit would be stolen. Most farmers, however, waited for rainfall to make picking easier. The harvest will last for the next two months, and farmers want to ensure a generous yield of oil once the fruit is fully ripe.
According to farmer Ahmad Yousef, Ajloun's farmers look forward to the olive season, which they affectionately call the "mayor of seasons," because they regard it as their main source of food and livelihood. He said they began preparing for the harvest after the rains recently washed their groves.
He said they expect a good season this year in terms of abundant fruit, enabling them to harvest enough to sell part of it for pickling, and to press most of it for good quantities of oil. They keep some for their families' consumption and sell the surplus at suitable prices that meet their families' needs and cover the annual costs of caring for their trees.
Farmer Hamzeh Omar said he suffered greatly during the past period while waiting for the "olive rain" to wash the trees and begin harvesting. He said he kept checking on several groves he rents from their owners in exchange for a set share, to protect them from people who have grown used to stealing olives.
Attacks on trees
He noted that he met many farmers whose groves had been stolen from, and confirmed that dozens of olive trees in one village in the governorate were attacked two weeks ago, when thieves cut off their branches so they could pick the fruit out of sight.
Omar added that the olive season is one of the most important for them. Farmers, traders and consumers all await it eagerly, because of the many benefits it brings from a tree that remains among the most important and valuable to them. He described the season as the "elder of seasons" and one of the most important gateways to livelihood and good that reaches everyone, from the owner of the olive tree to wholesale and retail traders, to those who work as "ba'ara" (middlemen), and on to makers of pickled olives.
Abu Ayman Frehat, one of the supervisors of olive presses, said the season offers press owners a chance to earn money through pressing fees and to employ dozens of young men in pressing the fruit. He explained that farmers keep part of the oil and pickled olives as a "mouneh" (household stock) for their families, and earn returns from selling the surplus to settle other obligations.
Frehat added that the olive season is one of the most important in Ajloun Governorate, given the spread of both old and new trees across its areas, which provide good quantities of fruit. This allows residents to meet their oil needs and sell the surplus for good sums. He said the price of a tin currently ranges between JOD 115 and JOD 125.
Farmer Abu Riyad Al Ananbeh said many people begin buying scattered quantities of olives at this time and gathering them until they reach amounts suitable for pressing. He explained that these people usually set up along roadsides near olive farms, and make good profits from this, also providing machines for pressing olives on site for small fees.
Farmer Mohammad Al Qudah said the varied weather conditions this year, and the resulting delay in rainfall, have left farmers uncertain. Some began harvesting without waiting for rain, while others preferred to wait, especially since farmers prefer rain before harvest, as it makes the work easier by washing the trees of dust and moistening the fruit.
He said the "olive rain" usually falls during the first half of October, but was delayed this year by about ten days. This pushed most farmers to pick their fruit without waiting for rain, making the season harder for them. Nevertheless, many farmers waited for the last rain before starting the harvest. He explained that signs of ripeness appear as the fruit changes color from dark green to light yellowish green, then purple, and finally black. These are the main indicators relied on to determine when to harvest.
Keeping a fair price
The governorate is known for its old olive trees, including the "Rumi" and "Mahras" varieties, which are distinguished by the quality of their oil and fruit. Over recent years, large areas of agricultural land have also been reclaimed and planted with olive trees.
Activist and coordinator of several festivals dedicated to supporting farmers and producers, Munther Al Zghoul, called on the Ministry of Agriculture to support olive farmers by protecting the product, keeping its price fair, not importing oil during the season, helping with marketing, and ensuring a fair price for producers.
He said this year's olive festival will be held on the fifth of next month in the square of Ajloun Castle and will run for three days, aiming to promote olive oil and Ajloun olives, with the participation of dozens of associations, families and individuals.
Al Zghoul explained that the goal of this annual festival is to encourage individuals and families working in this field to continue and sustain their work, and to support them in various ways. He expressed his hope that the festival would help highlight Ajloun's products, especially oil and olives, and help market them within Jordan and abroad.
For his part, the governorate's director of agriculture, engineer Saytan Al Sarhan, said the average annual production of olives in the governorate is estimated at about 40,000 tons, of which about 39,000 tons are converted into oil, producing roughly 8,000 tons, while 1,000 tons are used to produce pressed olives. He said the area of land planted with olives in the governorate is estimated at about 86,000 dunams.
He stressed that the directorate is doing its utmost to ensure that some presses do not commit environmental violations during the season. He said it will follow up, in cooperation with the governorate's public safety committee, on the work of the 15 licensed presses for this season, to ensure they comply with all licensing conditions and to address any violations or negative practices.
This season has seen several incidents of theft and attacks on olive trees and crops, which has caused great concern and widespread anger among farmers in the area.
Activists on social media have shared recordings documenting several of these incidents, including an attack on a large farm owned by a citizen living abroad, which suffered extensive sabotage and theft after unknown people cut the branches of about 50 fruit-laden olive trees in order to steal the entire crop and make seizing it easier.
Farmers also complained that their farms had been stolen from, whether under cover of darkness or in broad daylight, especially remote farms far from their owners' homes. Many were forced to post guards on their land to prevent thieves from taking their crops. They called on traders and press owners to scrutinize and verify the sources of olives offered for sale, particularly quantities offered by unknown individuals.
By Amer Khattabeh. Published by Al Ghad.
