The blessed tree in the Arab world: a journey through the numbers and achievements of olive cultivation

From watching His Excellency the President's honor for the heroes of the glorious October War on television, and the audience was touched by the moment of loyalty to the sacrifices made by the heroes in the redemption of the homeland, I quickly called General Ahmed Hassan Behairy, a hero of the October War, and requested his visit. I immediately went to meet him and check on him. We talked about the October War, the miracles that happened in the war and the victory of the will of the nation, while believing in ourselves and that we are capable and are no less than anyone.

During our conversation, he asked me, “What is the news of the blessed tree in our Arab world?” I told him, “Thank God, there is a great expansion in the cultivation of the blessed tree with a great ambition to lead the world.”

Olive trees have been grown for thousands of years, especially in the Mediterranean region, where they are an integral part of Arab culture, economy and cuisine. The number of olive trees in a country reflects not only its productive capacity, but also its historical and agricultural commitment to the blessed tree. The following is an overview through the 2024 statistics issued by the International Olive Council on the number of trees in the Arab countries.

The number of olive trees in the most prominent Arab countries:

1. Tunisia: 88 million treesMost of it is directed to oil production. Tunisia ranks second in the world in terms of the world's production of olive oil.
2. Algeria: 65 million treesThere is interest in developing intensive crops for oil production, with local varieties for the production of table olives.
3. Morocco: 60 million treesMorocco is witnessing an expansion of olive cultivation within national projects such as the “Green Maghreb Project”. It is one of the main suppliers of green olives to Europe and the United States.
4. Syria: 54 million treesSyria is still a traditional country for growing many olive trees. It has historical trees and produces a unique olive oil.
5. Egypt: 40 million treesEgypt is rapidly expanding its olive farms with modern techniques, especially high-density olives for the purpose of producing oil, in addition to its superiority in the production of table olives, as it is one of the largest producers in the world in terms of production volume.
6. Saudi Arabia: 25 million treesThe Kingdom has rapidly expanded its high-density olive crops, especially in Al-Jouf region in the north of the Kingdom, with some crops in the areas of Tabuk, Hail, Al-Baha and Assir.
7. Libya: 20 million treesAttention is focused on the northern coastal areas, with efforts being made to pay attention to this sector through investment.
8. Palestine: 13 million treesOlive trees in Palestinian culture and heritage have a special symbolism. They are a symbol of steadfastness and attachment to the land.
9. Lebanon: 12 million treesOlive farming is part of the culture, and interest in this sector and its development are increasing.
10. Jordan: 11 million treesThe olive sector in Jordan is part of the culture. There is a significant development in the cultivation of trees to produce oil, in addition to the interest in the production of table olives.

Arab ambitions and promising projects

For information, there is a significant expansion in the Arab countries to invest in the cultivation of olive trees to produce oil and table olives. For example, Egypt has a national project to plant 100 million olive trees. It is moving steadily towards completing the project, attracting Spanish varieties (Arbequina - Arbosana) and distinctive Greek (Cornici) varieties, and developing Egyptian varieties at the Agricultural Research Center such as “Olive 66”, “Olive 69” and “Olive 48” to produce oil, which are suitable for the climate in Egypt. Mechanization and modern methods are also used in harvesting and extraction. We have noticed a shift from extraction with presses to modern centrifugal techniques to improve the quantity and quality of olive oil.

Olive trees in the Arab region are characterized by unique traditional varieties that have high-quality characteristics, a special taste, and multiple phenolic ingredients that give olive oil a charming aromatic smell. Our region has many international experts specialized in this field. Let us not forget that the former Executive Director of the International Olive Council, Mr. Abdellatif Ghadira, of Moroccan nationality, was at the top of the world's olive pyramid for two consecutive terms from 2016 to 2023.

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