Standards and Metrology Announce Results of the Golden Olive Oil Competition for 2025

Ramallah – The Palestine Standards Institution (PSI) announced today, Monday, the names of the winners of the eighteenth edition of the Golden Olive Oil Competition for the 2025 season. The announcement was made during an official ceremony held under the patronage of H.E. the Minister of Industry and Chairman of the PSI Board, Mr. Arafat Asfour, H.E. the Minister of Agriculture, Prof. Rizq Salimiya, and representatives of partner and supporting institutions.

In his speech, the Director General of the Palestine Standards Institution, Eng. Haidar Hajja, and on behalf of H.E. the Minister of Industry and Chairman of the PSI Board, Mr. Arafat Asfour, expressed pride in the continuity of the Golden Olive Oil Competition for the eighteenth consecutive year. He emphasized that the competition has become a well-established annual national milestone contributing to the improvement of the quality of Palestinian olive oil and strengthening its status as a strategic national product.

Hajja explained that the competition aims to raise the quality of premium Palestinian olive oil and enhance its competitiveness in local and international markets by encouraging farmers and olive mills to adhere to best agricultural and technical practices, starting from proper harvesting through storage and packaging in accordance with approved standards.

He noted that the institution, in cooperation with partner entities, continues its efforts to enhance consumer confidence in local olive oil by conducting sensory, chemical, and physical tests, and ensuring product compliance with Palestinian and international standards, in line with quality and food safety requirements.

In this context, he stressed that the institution has recently worked on developing and updating the quality charter for Palestinian olive oil, in addition to upgrading the sensory analysis laboratory and enhancing the efficiency of the national and supporting teams. This ensures integrity and accuracy in evaluation processes and strengthens the comprehensive quality system of the olive sector in line with international developments and best practices.

For his part, H.E. the Minister of Agriculture affirmed that organizing this event represents a “candle of hope amid the deep darkness” overshadowing the Palestinian olive sector. He stressed that this sector is not merely an agricultural activity, but one of identity, resilience, food, and economy, and constitutes a central pillar of the struggle over Palestinian land.

He pointed out that 2025 was a bloody year in every sense for the Palestinian agricultural sector, with losses estimated at more than USD 103 million, over 45% of which were in the olive and olive oil sector, due to ongoing attacks and violations against land and farmers. He confirmed that these figures are accurate and were officially announced recently.

He explained that the ministry launched several initiatives to support the sector, most notably the olive harvest campaign, which witnessed the participation of more than 60 national institutions. These initiatives contributed to reducing the areas that farmers were unable to access in previous seasons, despite increasing challenges. This year, the area from which farmers were denied access reached approximately 123,000 dunums, particularly in areas behind the separation wall and near settlements and bypass roads.

The Minister called for intensified national and institutional mobilization for the coming season to support farmers and enable them to access their lands. He emphasized that enhancing food security and supporting the resilience of Palestinian farmers are top priorities for the Ministry of Agriculture, which bases its policies and decisions on serving farmers’ interests. This includes decisions not to open imports for certain animal and plant products in order to preserve market stability and protect national products.

In concluding his speech, the Minister of Agriculture thanked the organizers of the Golden Olive Oil Competition for highlighting Palestinian olive oil as a strategic national product, while also commending the support of private sector companies for farmers and their role in strengthening resilience in the face of challenges.

In turn, the Director General of the Palestinian Olive and Olive Oil Council, Mr. Fayyad Fayyad, praised the efforts exerted in organizing the competition, affirming that it contributes to reinforcing the status of Palestinian olive oil as a strategic national product. He noted that the council works with partners to develop supportive policies for the sector and open new marketing opportunities, enhancing farmers’ resilience and preserving Palestinian agricultural heritage.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Agricultural Engineers Syndicate, Mr. Samer Farah, emphasized that this competition represents a practical model for integration between technical and institutional efforts to advance the agricultural sector. He noted that supporting farmers with engineering knowledge and agricultural guidance directly reflects on product quality, adding that the syndicate will continue its role in empowering agricultural engineers and enhancing their contribution to developing the Palestinian olive oil production chain.

Competition Results:

• First Place (Gold Award): Abdul Majeed Yasser Ghanem
• Second Place (Silver Award): Abdul Rahim Abdul Majeed
• Third Place (Bronze Award): Mousa Salem Abu Ali
• Third Place (Bronze Award – tie): Hassan Abdul Majeed Ghanem

The awards included agricultural equipment and cash prizes provided by partners.

The Palestine Standards Institution extends its sincere thanks to all partners and donors who contributed to the success of the competition, including: Green Mount of Olives, Oxfam and its partners, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Agricultural Relief, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Palestinian Olive and Olive Oil Council, the Ministry of National Economy, the Agricultural Engineers Syndicate, Al-Reef Company for Agricultural Investment and Marketing, the Palestine Trade Center (PalTrade), Nablus Tin Factories Company, Yasser Mansour & Brothers for Tin and Plastic Manufacturing, Al-Ard Company, Birzeit University, and the Palestine Trade Center (PalTrade).