AL-DAIR BANI MALIK — Khawlani coffee farmers in the mountainous governorates of the Jazan region continue to pick coffee beans and harvest their crops during the annual harvest season, which runs from October to January. Cultivation of Khawlani coffee beans is considered to be a highly respected vocation that embodies the cultural identity and legacy of the people of these mountainous regions. According to the statistical figures of the Mountain Development and Reconstruction Authority in Jazan, the number of coffee farmers involved in the cultivation reached 1,060 by the beginning of this year, of whom 657 are from Al-Dair governorate. Farmers are cultivating coffee in the mountainous governorates that include apart from Al-Dair Bani Malik, Fifa, Al-Raith, Al-Aidabi, Al-Aridha, and Haroub, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The number of coffee trees in the sector reached 171,384, of which 122,455 trees were in Al-Dair governorate, representing 71 percent, while the average annual production stood at 369,752 kilograms. The Bani Malik governorate hosted the last seven editions of the Coffee Festival, as the festival contributed, through its previous editions, to introducing the coffee product and expanding its cultivation and investing in this high-quality crop. The efforts of the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture have contributed to increasing the number of farmers, as well as the number of coffee trees. This eventually led to increasing production, thanks to the ministry's program to have sustainable agricultural rural development with targeting the sector of developing, producing, manufacturing, and marketing of coffee. These efforts were also consistent with the Saudi Aramco initiative to cultivate coffee in the mountainous regions as well as to support farmers and thus contributing to the growth of the national economy. The Mountain Areas Development and Reconstruction Authority provided more than 344,000 coffee seedlings from the authority's agricultural research station and distributed them to farmers from 2016 until the end of last year.
