AMMAN — The Ministry of Agriculture on Sunday hosted a consultative meeting to review olive oil prices and production levels for the current season amid market challenges and rising prices compared with previous years.
The meeting also discussed possible measures to stabilise the market and safeguard the interests of both farmers and consumers, according to a ministry statement.
The meeting brought together Agriculture Ministry Secretary-General Mohammad Hyari, Head of the Jordanian Farmers Union Odeh Rawashdeh, and Head of the Olive Presses Owners’ Syndicate Tayseer Najdawi.
Participants agreed to continue monitoring prices and production volumes, noting that if prices remain high, the ministry will consider allowing olive oil imports from various reliable sources to meet local market needs.
They also decided to permit each family arriving from Palestine to bring up to five tins of olive oil for personal use, within specific limits and in accordance with applicable regulations and procedures.
The attendees stressed the importance of having a balance between the interests of farmers and consumers, ensuring the availability of high-quality olive oil at reasonable prices, while maintaining the sustainability of the agricultural sector and supporting domestic production.
According to the annual survey of olive oil production in the Kingdom for the 2024/2025 season, released in March by the Department of Statistics (DoS), olive oil production during the 2024/2025 season increased by 43.2 per cent, reaching 35,828 tonnes, compared to 25,028 tonnes in the 2023/2024 season.
The oil production rose from 18 per cent in the 2023/2024 season to 19.4 per cent in the 2024/2025 season.
The total quantity of olives received by presses across all governorates for oil extraction reached 184,903 tonnes in the 2024/2025 season, compared to 138,898 tonnes in the 2023/2024 season, marking an increase of 33.1 per cent, according to the DoS survey.
At the governorate level, the results showed that Irbid ranked first in terms of the quantity of pressed olives and olive oil produced, with 89,200 tonnes of olives pressed and 17,600tonnes of olive oil produced in 2024.
The total number of olive presses in Jordan reached 148 in 2024, with 146 actively operating.
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