- Olives are being produced on a commercial level in Pakistan
- Nine olive extraction plants are set up in Pakistan under PSDP for harvesting olives
- Cultivation of olives in Pakistan would result in less dependency on imported olives.
- The truth about Pakistan- a world leader in Olive Cultivation
The government of Pakistan is trying to increase the plantation and cultivation of olives across the country. Dr. Ahmad Tariq, the head of Barani Agriculture Research Institute, Chakwal, enlightened about the beginning of olive production on a commercial level in 2012 by the Italian financed project. The positive outcomes encouraged the Government of Pakistan to set up a subsidized project -Public Sector Development Programme- in 2014. The PSDP highlighted this effort as “Promotion of Olive Cultivation on a commercial scale in Pakistan.”
Moreover, he added, 13,000 tonnes of extra virgin olive valuing millions of dollars will be extracted in Pakistan. This extraction will come up with benefits such as increased farm income, reduced involvement of inputs, and a smaller investment. The land area under olive cultivation will get expanded from 27,000 hectares to 70,000 hectares in order to increase benefits for smallholders. Marginal lands would be utilized in a productive way.
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In reported news, Dr. Ahmad Tariq briefed about the installation of nine oil extraction plants under PSDP to encourage the cultivation of olive. The kilogram capacity of plants per hour was also discussed, mentioning that three out of nine plants have more per hour extraction capacity than six others. These extraction plants are highly equipped with necessary accessories and will certainly assist in boosting the economic status of Pakistan.
Cultivation of olives in Pakistan would result in less dependency on imported olives in order to meet domestic demand in the country. Furthermore, he summarized that the cultivation of extra virgin olive at the local level is being promoted by Pakistan Agricultural Research Council.
Also read: Agroforestry – Importance and Application in Pakistan
The news got viral about Pakistan that it is about to become the world’s leader in olive production by increasing the cultivation of olives on a commercial level. However, detailed research reported the true fact about the ability and capacity of olive production in Pakistan. According to research, the country owns a land area of almost 10 million acres which could be utilized for olive cultivation. This area is greater than the country Spain that is currently leading in the production of olives. Along with this, tireless work, efficient management, and time span as long as decades are required to enter the list of the first ten olive producing nations.
Currently, olives are being cultivated in Chakwal due to its felicitous climate and topography for olive production. Also, the Potohar region is considered as Olive Valley in Pakistan.
Also check out: The Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture in Pakistan
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