AMMAN — Stakeholders voiced hope that the election of Jordan to chair the
International Olive Council (IOC) will help popularize Jordan as one of the top producers of olive oil and help the sector develop.
اضافة اعلان
Jordan was elected chair of the IOC for the year 2022 on the sidelines of IOC’s convention celebrating World Olive Day, held in Georgia on Friday.
Agriculture Minister Khaled Hneifat said that the election of Jordan for such position reflects the world’s respect for His Majesty King Abdullah, the Jordanian people and the advanced
olive sector in the kingdom, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.
Hneifat also said that the move is bound to help the olive sector expand and that Jordan will work to secure positive communication among the members of the council, to serve the agricultural sector.
Jordan is scheduled to host the IOC meetings in June, according to Petra.
MP Mohammad Alaqmeh said that Jordan is already known as one of the top producers of high-quality
olive oil.
“This chairmanship provides an opportunity to find more export markets for Jordanian olive oil,” Alaqmeh told the
Jordan News, adding that the area planted with olive trees should be expanded, especially in the north, where olive trees grow naturally, needing no or little irrigation.
Alaqmeh, who is the head of the Lower House’s Agriculture and Water Committee, said
farmers should be provided with free trees and entry of modern agricultural equipment should be facilitated to reduce production costs.
He also urged different entities, such as embassies, to work on promoting the kingdom’s agricultural produce and its superior olive oil.
Audeh Rawashdeh, president of the General Union of Jordanian Farmers, said that electing Jordan to head IOC is testimony to the kingdom’s reputation as an important producer of olive oil and may give a push to olive farming in the country.
Rawashdeh praised His Majesty King Abdulla’s support for the agricultural sector and farmers, and stressed that the Agriculture Ministry has an important role to play in developing the sector and protecting farmers.
According to older remarks by Hniefat carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Jordan was expected to produce 21,000 tons of olive oil and 170,000 tons of olives this year.
Established in Madrid, Spain, in 1959, under the auspices of the United Nations, IOC is the only intergovernmental organization in the world to bring together olive oil and table olive producing and consuming stakeholders, according to its website. It has 17 member states in addition to the European Union.
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