{"id":7663,"date":"2021-12-05T00:58:51","date_gmt":"2021-12-05T00:58:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milliontrees.com.sa\/?p=7663"},"modified":"2025-02-26T11:34:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T11:34:26","slug":"saudi-arabias-green-oil-ancient-meets-modern-as-the-smart-farmers-of-jouf-reap-a-rich-olive-harvest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milliontrees.com.sa\/?p=7663","title":{"rendered":"Saudi Arabia\u2019s green oil: Ancient meets modern as the \u2018smart farmers\u2019 of Jouf reap a rich olive harvest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Arab News visited the \u201cMillion Tree Farm\u201d in Jouf, a land of fertile soil and moderate climate ideal for cultivating this popular drupe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JOUF: Olive oil, the green elixir and a staple in Saudi households, is getting a production boost  as farmers in the northern Jouf region \u2014 the \u201cfood basket of the Kingdom\u201d \u2014 adopt high-tech methods to get the most out of their traditional olive groves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olive trees have their roots in the cradle of civilization. Cultivated even before the invention of written language, distinctive tree varieties spread to Iran, Syria and Palestine, and throughout the Mediterranean basin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With its fertile soil and moderate climate, the Jouf region in the north of the Kingdom has become Saudi Arabia\u2019s biggest producer of olive oil, and is home to vast orchards holding millions of trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout history, the humble olive has been associated with prosperity. But olive oil has always been much more than just a delicious part of the daily diet, and is a valuable and intrinsic part of Arab culture and heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arab News traveled north and visited the Busita farm, also known as the \u201cMillion Tree Farm,\u201d whose owner, Nasser Al-Hamad, shared his story of swapping a career as an Islamic studies teacher in Riyadh for life in the world of agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Hamad researched and planned his farming project for years before planting 160,000 olive trees imported from Spain through the Agromillora company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His efforts have borne fruit and he is now regarded as one of the best farmers in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout history, the humble olive has been associated with prosperity. But olive oil has always been much more than just a delicious part of the daily diet, and is a valuable and intrinsic part of Arab culture and heritage.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI grew up between farms and in a family full of farmers, so I was already familiar with planting methods for many crops,\u201d he told Arab News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Hamad decided to grow Spanish olive trees in high-density groves, a more economical and productive model that also delivered high-quality crops and flavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen my family started their farming business in Jouf city, the quality of olive oil caught my attention. We did not depend on the Spanish olive oil for daily use, and it was only used for medical prescriptions. However, I found out that it has a nuttier and richer fruity flavor and a sweeter taste than other types,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you eat it in the early morning, it gives the body a kick-start for the day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The journey that led to the Million Tree Farm began with a single step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI started with a small orchard of the available olive trees, then I started my research, including visiting international farms and agricultural experts all over Europe,\u201d Al-Hamad said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2018, 160,000 trees, all of the Arbequina variety, were planted as the first stage of the \u201cMillion Tree\u201d project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe trees are watered through pressure-regulated irrigation networks for four years, resulting in significant growth, heavy branches to support the fruit and excellent productivity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have been to China, different countries in Europe, and I have met some of the biggest dealers in the field. It turned out that Busita is the best, in terms of quality, production and cost, thanks to different factors, such as the weather.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INNUMBERS<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

160,000 – the number of trees planted in the first stage of the \u201cMillion Tree\u201d project<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10 kg – every 10 kg of olives yields one liter of high-quality olive oil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added: \u201cIn other countries, rainfall in the harvest season can cause crop damage or increase in moisture level for the fruits, but not here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Hamad said that every 10 kg of olives yields one liter of high-quality olive oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis whole orchard is managed by one irrigation pump, and requires only one worker due to the use of modern technology,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Al-Hamad\u2019s success has prompted him to launch another project, with plans to plant 700,000 trees in the next six months. Three types of Spanish olive tree \u2014 Arbequina, or \u201cQueen of Arabia\u201d; Arbosana, which translates as \u201cArabs of Sinai\u201d; and Olea europaea, the European olive \u2014 will be used in the planting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a long-term goal in mind, the \u201csmart farmer\u201d is focusing on ways to conserve water, lower costs, and transform the way olive oil is produced in the Kingdom in line with modern business principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs I made a career in the farming industry, I found out that the farming process is easier now. My trip to Spain taught me that farming can also adopt technology that is more feasible than standard methods used in other countries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Hamad\u2019s methods result in lower costs, reduced water consumption and minimal use of labor, but the result is a consistent high-quality olive oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olive trees thrive on little water, unlike palm trees, which require intensive watering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

source:https:\/\/www.arabnews.com\/node\/1956711\/saudi-arabia<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arab News visited the \u201cMillion Tree Farm\u201d in Jouf, a land of fertile soil and moderate climate ideal for cultivating this popular drupe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[74,72],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milliontrees.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7663"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milliontrees.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milliontrees.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milliontrees.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milliontrees.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7663"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/milliontrees.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7672,"href":"https:\/\/milliontrees.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7663\/revisions\/7672"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milliontrees.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milliontrees.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milliontrees.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milliontrees.com.sa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}