The olive tree plan

Olive farming will enable the country to export olives, olive oil and produce enough edible oil

In addition to its ongoing 10 billion tree plantation campaign, the federal government is planning to launch a 50 million Olive Tree Tsunami plan for small landholding farmers in the country’s drought-stricken areas. The olive tree has been chosen for the purpose due to the fact that it is a drought-tolerant plant. Besides providing livelihood for farmers, olive farming, it is believed, will enable the country to export olives and olive oil and also produce enough edible oil to meet domestic demand.

This is certainly a step in the right direction and the government must be commended for developing the plan. It is also important, however, to diversify and emphasise the production of other drought-resistant crops to counter the country’s water crisis. The black-eyed pea, a high-protein grain grown mainly by small farmers in more than 80 countries around the world, is another such crop. Yet another drought-resistant crop, the chickpea, is already widely grown in South Asia. Maize, one of the world’s most important cereal crops, is another such crop which has also been genetically modified to include the desired DNA traits that thrive in drought conditions. There are also several varieties of beans that can withstand drought.

And then there are techniques which are used to counter drought conditions. In intercropping, for example, two or more crops are grown together which means farmers have a crop to fall back on if one of them fails due to poor rainfall. In another technique, millions of farmers are increasingly planting new varieties of food crops that take less time to grow, thus reducing the need for rain. It is critical for our country’s planners to remember that scientists are constantly engaged in research to develop new drought-resistant crop varieties and practices, and that we must stay up to date on the research if we are to ensure food security for our country.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2019.

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