Jordanian government hard-pressed on olive oil prices – in pictures

Above, olive farms in Irbid city, north of Amman. A lack of rain and higher temperatures this year has reduced the harvest of the olive fruit by about 20 per cent from last year. Olive trees cover around 75 per cent of agricultural land in Jordan. Muhammad Hamed / Reuters

Workers pour olives into a grinding machine before they are pressed into oil at an olive press factory in Irbid city, north of Amman. A lack of rain and higher temperatures this year has cut the harvest of the olive fruit by about 20 percent from last year. Muhammad Hamed / Reuters

Farmers pick olives during a harvest at a farm in Irbid city, north of Amman. Jordan is the world’s eighth largest producer of olive oil, with 17 million olive trees generating around 20 to 24 tonnes of oil every year. Muhammad Hamed / Reuters

A worker looks at olives in a grinding machine before they are pressed into oil. Olive trees cover around 75 per cent of agricultural land in Jordan. Muhammad Hamed / Reuters

A man looks at preserved olive during a rural products and olive festival in Irbid city. Muhammad Hamed / Reuters

The Jordanian Ministry of Agriculture is looking to import olive oil due to rising prices in the domestic market, with a lack of rain and higher temperatures this year reducing the harvest of the olive fruit by about 20 per cent from last year.