AMMAN: The Department of Statistics stated that the Kingdom’s olive oil production increased by 20 per cent in 2014.The Department of Statistics (DoS) report said olive groves across the Kingdom produced 22,835 tonnes of olive oil during the 2014 harvest season between October 15 and January 23, compared to 19,078 tonnes in 2013.
The harvest of olive fruits also saw a 20 per cent rise in 2014 when compared with the year before as DoS estimated the volume of olives at 116,969 tonnes, while in 2013 it stood at 97,825 tonnes.
According to official data, Irbid was the highest olive oil producer in the Kingdom with 7,515 tonnes, followed by Ajloun with 3,247 tonnes, Amman (2,488 tonnes), Balqa (2,022 tonnes) and Jerash (1,996 tonnes).Production in Irbid, 80km north of Amman, went up by 44 per cent in 2014, while in Ajloun, 70km northwest of the capital, it saw a decrease of 15 per cent.
The governorate with the lowest volume of olive oil production was Aqaba (113 tonnes), with production in the southern governorate dropping by 16 per cent, followed by Tafileh with 140 tonnes.
