Saudi Arabia’s olive oil industry is sized at nearly 45,000 tons, up by 5%, per annum, said Mazen Badawood, chief executive officer (CEO) of Al-Jouf Agricultural Development Co., on the sidelines of the International Fair of Olive Oil and Allied Industries (Expoliva 2021).
The local olive oil market may see an increase in demand to 70,000 tons over the next five years, backed by the growing public awareness over the importance of the healthy food, especially among youth.
“We plan to focus on the development of the olive oil industry, with the help of the required equipment, as well as the qualified human cadres,” Badawood added.
Olive agriculture started in Al Jouf region in 1995 with 100,000 olive trees on 360 hectares and currently there are 1 million trees on 4,000 hectares. In 2010, a new pattern was used so that the number of olive trees reached 3.5 million on 3,335 hectares, he noted.
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