Olive Gala organised in Peshawar

K-P agricultural minister says promoting olive cultivation will help enable Pakistan to make their own olive oil

PESHAWAR:

The Agricultural Research Institute (ARI) Tarnab, Peshawar on Friday hosted an Olive Gala, showcasing the potential of the olive industry in Pakistan. The event was organized under the auspices of the Italian-funded project ‘Olive Culture-Holistic and Multi-Professional Mechanism for a Pakistani Olive Oil Value Chain’ and ‘Promotion of Olive Cultivation on Commercial Scale in Pakistan’.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor, Ghulam Ali, was the chief guest of the event.

He expressed his happiness at the progress being made in olive cultivation in the country and emphasized the need to disseminate information about new varieties and production technology to ordinary farmers to ensure that the country becomes self-sufficient in edible oil production.

He also added, that Italian experts from CIHEAM Bari are doing impressive work in the development of olive crop.

Provincial Agricultural Minister, Abdul Haleem Qasuria lauded the efforts of ARI in promotion of olive yield in Pakistan.

He said that Pakistan is spending billions of rupees in importing edible oil each year, promoting olive cultivation will help enable Pakistan to make their own olive oil.

Stakeholders from various sectors, including institutions, businesses, farmers, youth, women, consumers, and entrepreneurs, were able to explore and improve the economic, productive, and quality aspects of the Pakistani olive oil value chain during the Olive Gala.

Speaking on the occasion, the Director General ARI, Tarnab welcomed the participants of gala, emphasizing the importance of the olive oil industry in Pakistan.

He added that the ARI in the province is doing a tremendous job in promotion of olive cultivation and production with the help and support of Italian agency.

He also added that they are receiving positive response from farmers.

The Olive Gala also featured representative from CIHEAM Bari who emphasized the importance of enhancing the olive value chain and promoting interaction among all actors along with the olive value addition.

The gala was highly informative and engaging, providing stakeholders with the chance to discuss the latest trends and innovations in the olive industry.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2023.