Sakaka, 21 Rajab 1447 AH (10 January 2026)

Since its launch 19 years ago, the Al-Jouf International Olive Festival has driven a step change in the economic value of olive oil and table olives in the region by empowering farmers, especially small producers, connecting them to local, Gulf and global markets, raising awareness of best agricultural practice, increasing production and delivering sustainable growth in farm income.

The festival aims to boost agricultural investment in the region, drawing on Al-Jouf's natural advantages of fertile soil and abundant fresh water, to develop the olive sector into a promising economic pillar that supports food security and strengthens the standing of national products.

From Small Growers to Companies

Eng. Atef bin Mohammed Al-Sharaan, Mayor of Al-Jouf Region, said after the launch of the 19th edition that the festival has directly helped many small farmers move from individual production to establishing fully fledged agricultural companies, noting that several participants from the early editions are now sponsors and supporters of the festival, a clear indicator of its central role in developing and sustaining the region's olive sector.

The festival is an important marketing platform for farmers and producers in olive-related processing. Farmer Hamdan Al-Ruwaili recounts more than ten years of continuous participation, during which he won three olive oil awards. His pavilion now displays more than 70 products, including olive oil, table olives and innovative processed goods such as olive-oil dairy products, sheep's cheeses, olive salads and pickled olives in a range of flavours, which are increasingly popular with visitors. The festival, he said, has developed farmers' thinking about agricultural investment.

Farmer Owaidah Al-Fuhaiqi has taken part since the first edition 19 years ago and has won the Governor of Al-Jouf's award in the olive oil track in four previous editions. The festival, he said, has raised the market value of the product by as much as 500 percent: a 16-kilogram container of oil sold for around SAR 200 nearly two decades ago and now fetches around SAR 1,000 depending on quality. His participation helped him expand his olive cultivation from about 2,000 trees to more than 10,000, and raised farmers' awareness of the varieties suited to oil or table olives, such as Nabali, Mukathaf, Picual, Spanish, Arbequina, Jalti and K18.

Innovation and Assurance

On the innovation front, farmer Sultan Al-Juhani said product development has become a fixture of his participation, with new experiments each edition based on natural ingredients from the region, using olive oil, dates and samh seeds. This year he is presenting "date butter with samh and olive oil" as a healthy, moderate-calorie alternative to artificial sweeteners.

More than 45 olive farms are taking part in the current edition, presenting their olive oil and table olives with tasting available before purchase to build consumer confidence in the quality of Al-Jouf products. The "Mujaz" inspection mark, awarded after more than seven laboratory tests at the Al-Jouf municipality laboratories, further raises reliability and encourages visitors to buy.