Ajloun, May 20 (Petra) -- Grape farming in Ajloun is a mainstay of the local economy, particularly the grape leaf harvest season for culinary use, which sees a boom in sales and marketing and offers seasonal employment opportunities for hundreds of households.
Grape cultivation is one of the main crops in the governorate due to suitable climatic and natural conditions for producing high-quality grape leaves and fruit, which helped expand farms in recent years", said Sitan Sarhan, Director of Agriculture in the north-western region.
An estimated area of 37,000 dunams is planted with grapes in Ajloun with an annual yield of about 14,480 tons, he pointed out.
The directorate regularly monitors grapevines across the region through agricultural extension and field inspections to ensure crop safety and limit the spread of diseases, said Sarhan.
The current season promises abundant production and high quality, given local market activity, he added.
The grape leaf harvest season is a significant economic opportunity for farmers, providing additional income and seasonal employment opportunities in harvesting, sorting, packaging, and marketing, as well as its contribution to stimulating commercial activity in the agricultural sector, Sarhan pointed out.
"This season is a good one, compared to previous years in terms of both the quantity and quality of the leaves," said Arabi Freihat, a farmer. He spoke of growing demand for grape leaves that started earlier in local markets.
He said maintaining the quality of the crop requires daily care of the trellises, including regular irrigation, fertilization, and monitoring for diseases.
Farmer Khaled Qudah said the grape leaf harvest season offers daily employment opportunities for a number of people in rural areas, especially women and young people working in preparing, sorting, and packaging the leaves, thus strengthening the role of small agricultural enterprises in supporting productive families.
He said grape trellises have become an important part of agricultural activity in Ajloun due to their high-quality yield, stressing the need to provide production inputs and agricultural guidance to maintain and develop the sector.
//Petra//SS
