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