Potohar region termed Olive Valley

Potohar region has been termed as Olive Valley which will boost olive production for saving millions of dollar worth of foreign exchange spent for importing the oil.

Every year, Pakistan spends three to four billion dollars on the import of crude edible oils and oilseeds. Increased local production of oilseed crops and the improved working of the domestic edible oil refining industry can help reduce this huge import bill.

The Potohar region will become the highest olive seed producer, benefiting the local growers while helping the national economy, said Barani Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) Director Muhammad Rafique Doggar.

Bari has provided over 1.2 million olive saplings to the farmers to enhance olive cultivation considerably in Potohar region.

According to Doggar, the olive saplings were provided free of cost to the eligible farmers of the region including Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Jhelum, Attock and Khurshab districts. The programme was launched for promoting local production of olive and curtailing import bill of edible oil sector, he said.

The growers are offered subsidy in accordance with the set rules and procedure and they are bound to fully comply with the recommendations of the provincial agriculture department. He said for the purpose the Punjab Agriculture Department had imported high quality saplings from best recognised countries for the production of olive.

An olive tree starts production after three to four years of its plantation while its productive age lasts for a long period, revealed Dogar.

Trees of olive laden with fruits at BARI are the proof that Potohar can be turned into Olive Valley easily.

BARI had imported a machine from Italy to extract olive oil and the service was available for the growers free of cost, he informed.

A single plant of olive yields 15kg to 35kg as it depends upon varieties, ecosystem and care while oil content remains 18 to 22 per cent.

At least 250 plants can be cultivated on a hectare and we can get 600 litres of olive oil from one hectare, maintained Muhammad Rafique, a progressive famer. The price of olive oil is Rs600 to Rs800 per litre and a farmer can earn Rs300,000 by growing olive on a hectare. Interestingly, the pickle of olive can give a huge profit to its producer as a farmer can earns Rs1176,000 by preparing 4,000kg of pickle from one hectare.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2020.