Olive oil production target set at 4,600 tons

Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Company (PHDEC) conducted a webinar on "Good Agricultural Practices of Olive for High Yield and Good Quality".

Pakistan, which has a large area of land suitable for growing olive trees, has been producing olive since 2010. Currently, it produces about 861 tons of table olive per year, all of which is consumed domestically.

Pakistan has set a target of producing 4,600 tons of olive oil by 2030 to substitute imports. The main areas fit for olive cultivation are Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, in addition to Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Pakistan has 10 million acres of land suitable for olive cultivation, which is almost twice as much as that in Spain, the world's largest olive oil producer. The webinar was held to educate olive growers and key farm workers.

Deputy Project Director Centre of Excellence for Olive Research and Training, Barani Agricultural Research Institute Chakwal, Dr Muhammad Azhar Iqbal shared the current area and production of olive in Pakistan and the growth trend in the last 10 years.

He highlighted the nutritional value and antioxidants in olive fruit and the varieties being cultivated in Pakistan compared to global varieties.

Speaking about the domestic and global yield per acre, he briefed the audience that the soil of Potohar region in Punjab was best suited for the olive crop.

Iqbal cited the unavailability of olive saplings, agronomic practices, crop research, pre- and post-harvest issues and the lack of oil extraction facilities as major challenges. He explained the reasons of low production, impact of malpractices and lack of knowledge of the recommended production technology.

Iqbal emphasised that olive growers should adopt modern production techniques and the government should provide funds and facilities for oil extraction in different olive producing areas.

A large number of growers, processors, exporters, researchers and representatives of the academia participated in the webinar.