Olive Cultivation To Bring About Economic Revolution, Sustainable Growth: Experts

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Mar, 2024) Experts on Sunday said that the government, by bringing an available potential area of about 10 million acres under olive cultivation in Punjab, is bringing about a silent revolution for the sustainable development growth of the country.

With a considerable increase in the area under potential cultivation, Pakistan is passing through a silent revolution of olive oil production, they opined. Talking to APP, they said that in all parts of the country, particularly the Pothohar region, Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and erstwhile Fata, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan areas, olive cultivation fertility is most suitable and have natural growth-able environment while providing fruitful conditions.

Given its potential for growing olive plantations, Pothohar has been termed an ‘olive valley’ where over 1.2 million olive plants are being grown on an area of 11,125 acres, engaging about 1,300 farmers, said Dr. Muhammad Tariq, national project director for the promotion of olive cultivation .

More than half the plants have started bearing fruit since 2019-20’s cropping period, producing 5,118 tonnes of olive oil. By the fall of 2024, the value of oil olive production will increase to Rs1.727 billion, he said.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, over a million olive plants are being grown on an area of 9,391 acres engaging 768 farmers. The production of olive oil is estimated to reach the value of Rs1.458bn in 2024, Dr Tariq informed.

Likewise, in Balochistan, over half a million plants are being grown over an area of over 9,391 acres and it is expected that by closing December, 2024, the value of oil will be Rs1.160bn.

In Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and AJK, over 50,000 plants are being grown on an area of 455 acres of land engaging 228 farmers. The value of oil by 2024 is expected to be Rs71 million, he told.

To a query, he said that in 2024, the country will have about 3m fruit-bearing olive plants producing roughly 1,415 tonnes of olive oil with an estimated value of Rs4.416bn. The climate change ministry also plans to plant 1m olive plants.

Edible oil is an every-day use food item. Pakistan has been chronically deficient in its production. More than 80 per cent of the domestic requirements are met through imports, he added. Dr Waqas Cheema, a scientific officer at Promotion of Olive cultivation project, told APP that over 1.5 million olive plants have already been planted under Promotion of Olive cultivation project Phase-II, across the country.

This initiative would help strengthen the national efforts to enhance the output of domestic edible oil for reducing the reliance on the imported commodity as well as to save much-needed foreign exchange, he said.

He said that through this initiative, 75,000 acres of land mainly culturable waste in all provinces and autonomous regions of AJ&K and Gilgit Baltistan was being brought under olive cultivation.

The provincial and Federal governments in the country are committed for the promotion of Olive cultivation and its value chain in Pakistan, he said.

It is worth mentioning here that under the various initiatives of the government of Pakistan under PSDP programme, a flagship project “Promotion of Olive cultivation on commercial Scale, Phase-II” is being implemented from 2021-22 for 03 years till December 2024.

Sources in PSDP told APP that despite running shortage of funds under PSDP programme, they have brought 1100 acre under olive cultivation, through this flagship initiative. Special focus is given to the grafting of already present 5 million wild olives after detailed survey and study and make it a fruitful economic asset for the farmers and country.

Moreover, water saving technology such as Drip Irrigation System is also being installed along with olive plantation in areas with low water delta, he added.

Though project of olive cultivation is being accomplished in the country for last decade in Pakistan, yet there are certain missing links or spaces in the value chain of olive sector.

Moreover, it is pertinent to mentioning here that the government also imparting training through 47 training programmes, to around 2,800 farmers, and olive stakeholders

In this regard, a campaign on wild olive grafting is being carried out across the four provinces including Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to attain oil for local consumption, said Dr. Hassan Tariq, National Project Director Olive Cultivation Programme.

He told APP that so far olive plantation had been completed over 40,400 acres, and about 8,900 acres of land would be brought under the olive plantation during the current spring plantation campaign, which will help to expand the area under olive production.

Meanwhile, the government in collaboration with other stakeholders and provincial governments would graft over 2 million wild olive trees, he said, adding that wild olive trees standing over millions of acres were an untapped potential, which would be brought under olive production.

Olive value chain will be strengthened by the provision of 500 pre and post harvesting tools on matching grants.

Barani Agriculture Research Institute former director Azeem Tariq told APP that the government was providing best fruit processing units and olive oil extraction units along with storage, filling, and testing equipment on matching grants to farmers, stakeholders, and entrepreneurs to promote the value chain and create employment opportunities for youth and Gender in the country.

He said that according to various studies more than eight million hectares of wasteland in Pakistan can be used to grow olive which can be exported to earn foreign exchange and enable the country to become self-sufficient in edible oil production.

Therefore, Pakistan being in the early stages of olive value chain, need standardization of olive oil and value-added products, he said.

For this purpose, dedicate certification Labs for the testing, quality control and further exports of olive commodities will be established in the country, Azeem informed.