A Saudi Grows 1,000,000 Olive Trees & Produces Oil

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Agriculture celebrated the project of a Saudi citizen who planted one million olive trees in the Al-Jawf area and was able to produce 200,000 liters of olive oil, as documented by the Food and Drug Authority, through its Twitter account.

Nasser Al-Hamad, the project’s owner, began his career with the “Ornamental Birds” project and then invested in agricultural machinery until the situation settled on olive tree planting. In an interview with Al-Arabiya.net, he shared his story.

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 region, in a project considered the largest in Saudi Arabia. A million trees were planted in Al-Jawf, which is famous for its weather, terrain and suitable for olive cultivation.”

He added, “I started gaining experience, and 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 with expertise and experience, and I started working on an investment.”

He went on to elaborate: “I searched in the environmental service for trees suitable for cultivation in Al-Jawf, and information was searched for olive oil-producing countries in Europe and the Maghreb. New varieties were reached and cultivation was carried out in the modern syste.”

Al-Hamad stressed that he tasted olive oil to ensure its quality and low acidity, and said: “Samples of it were sent to laboratories in European countries that praised the quality and the taste, and this matter characterizes the Al- Jawf region in general.

He concluded, “My goal is to transfer foreign agricultural experiences to our country, in pursuit of our Kingdom’s ambitious 2030 Vision by finding alternatives to oil and exploiting the wealth existing in Saudi Arabia, as Al-Jawf region is now producing olive oil distinguished by international laboratory certification. The first production was 4 months ago, and production reached 200,001 liters, and I hope to increase production in the coming period.”