International food security expert Dr. Fadel ELZUBI considers this year’s rainy season excellent, arriving at a critical growth stage for wheat, barley, and lentils. He sees it as a positive indicator that raises hopes for a good harvest, thereby strengthening prospects for improved national food security. Yet, he stresses the importance of realism in our outlook.

He added that the key question is: Were cultivated areas expanded this year based on early forecasts of a promising rainy season, or did farming proceed as usual without expansion?

If the answer is the latter, productivity will indeed rise thanks to the rainfall, but the increase will remain limited due to fixed cultivated areas. However, if farmland was expanded—for example, doubling the wheat acreage—the abundant rains would amplify the positive impact, turning the gain from a mere rise in yield per dunum into a tangible leap in total national production.

Dr. ELZUBI  emphasized the need for a realistic discourse that balances justified optimism with field realities, ensuring that proactive measures are precise and ready to absorb shocks in the food market caused by regional crises, global economic downturns, or climate change.

He further noted that it is premature to assert that the olive season will reach peak levels before the flowering and fruit-setting stages are complete, and that optimism about grain crops should be grounded in accurate data and clear plans.