A Saudi plants a million olive trees and produces oil..and this is his experience
Nasser Al-Hamad told Al-Arabiya.net: Samples of the olive oil we produce were sent to laboratories in European countries, which praised the quality and distinctive taste, and this matter distinguishes the Al-Jawf region in general.
The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in Saudi Arabia, through its Twitter account, celebrated the project of a Saudi citizen who planted one million olive trees in the Al-Jawf region (northern Saudi Arabia) and was able to produce 200,000 liters of olive oil documented by the Food and Drug Authority.
The owner of the project, Nasser Al-Hamad, who started his working life with the “Ornamental Birds” project, then invested in agricultural equipment, until the situation settled down to planting olive trees. He told his story in an interview with “Al Arabiya.net”.
Al-Hamad said: “My dream started from a young age, and with hard work, perseverance and intensification of efforts, I was able to plant one million olive trees in the Al-Jawf region, in a project considered the largest in Saudi Arabia. One million trees were planted in Al-Jouf, which is famous for its climate, terrain and weather suitable for olive cultivation.”
He added, “I began to gain experiences, so I traveled to developed countries in olive cultivation and agricultural fields, including Spain, France and Britain. I also visited agricultural factories in Greece and many European countries to gain experience. Then I returned to Saudi Arabia loaded with expertise and experience, and began working on investment My love for agriculture and the environment. After that, I searched for modern irrigation systems and a water-saving mechanism.”
And the conversation went on: “I searched in the service of the environment for suitable trees for cultivation in Al-Jawf, and searched for information on olive oil-producing countries in Europe and the Maghreb, and new varieties were reached, and cultivation was carried out using the modern system.”
Al-Hamad stressed that he analyzed olive oil to ensure its quality and lack of acidity, and said: “Samples of it were sent to laboratories in European countries, which praised the quality and excellent taste, and this matter characterizes the Al-Jawf region in general. We are still at the beginning of the project with one million trees, and we are planning how to invest in waste. Olives after pressing, branches and leaves, including olive wood, heating coals from olives, olive cores and their use in organic bakeries, in addition to using 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 achieving our Kingdom’s ambitious vision 2030 by finding alternatives to oil and exploiting the wealth in Saudi Arabia. Al-Jouf region now produces olive oil with a certificate of international laboratories. The first production was 4 months ago, and production reached 200 thousand liters, and I aspire to increase production in the coming period.”
