A Saudi man cultivates a million olive trees and produces oil. This is his experience

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, via its Twitter account, celebrated the project of a Saudi citizen who planted one million olive trees in the Al- region. Jawf (northern Saudi Arabia) and was able to produce 200 thousand liters of olive oil documented by the Food and Drug Authority.

The owner of the project, Nasser Al-Hamad, who started his professional life with the “Ornamental Birds” project, then invested in agricultural equipment, until the situation settled in the olive grove. He told his story in an interview with Al-Arabiya. Report.

Nasser Al-Hamad

Al-Hamad said: “My dream began at a young age, and with diligence, perseverance and intensification of efforts, I was able to plant a million olive trees in the Al-Jawf area, in a project considered the largest in Saudi Arabia. One million trees have been planted in Al-Jawf, famous for its climate, terrain and suitable for olive cultivation.

He added: “I started to gain experience and traveled to developed countries in olive tree cultivation and agricultural fields including Spain, France and Great Britain. I have also visited agricultural factories in Greece and many European countries to gain experience. Then I returned to Saudi Arabia. with the expertise and experiences, and I started to work on an investment. “My love for agriculture and the environment, then researching modern irrigation systems and a mechanism to save water.”

And he went on to speak: “I searched the environment department for trees suitable for cultivation in Al-Jawf, and information was sought for olive oil producing countries in Europe and the Maghreb. . New varieties have been reached and cultivation carried out in the modern system. “

Al-Hamad stressed that he had analyzed the olive oil to ensure its quality and low acidity, and said: “Samples of it were sent to laboratories in European countries which praised the quality. and taste, and this question characterizes the Al-Jouf region in general. . We are still at the start of the project with a million trees, and we are still planning how to invest with the waste. Olives after pressing, twigs and leaves, including olive wood, olive charcoal, olive seeds and their use in organic bakeries, in addition to the use of olive branches and trees as a kind of tea.

He concluded: “My goal is to transfer foreign agricultural experiences to our country, in pursuit of our Kingdom’s ambitious vision for 2030 by finding alternatives to oil and exploiting the existing wealth in Saudi Arabia, as the region d ‘Al-Jawf now produces olive oil which is distinguished by International Laboratory Certification. The first production goes back 4 months and the production has reached 200. “One thousand liters, and I hope to increase the production in the period to come.”

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