Punjab govt plans to grow 50m olive trees

Effort aims at self-sufficiency in edible oil production

LAHORE:

The Punjab government plans to grow around 50 million olive trees on 10 million acres of land by 2026.

According to Olive Growing Project Director Azeem Tariq, the country currently has five million planted and a higher number of wild olive trees.

He said olive farming in Pakistan would not only help in meeting the local needs for edible oil but also have many secondary benefits.

In addition to their nutritional benefits, their waste is also useful, he added.

Then official stressed the need for increased awareness, training, infrastructure development, access to tools, quality testing, storage, packaging, branding and marketing facilities to support the growing sector.

Pakistan became the 19th member of the International Olive Council (IOC) in 2022 and exported virgin and extra virgin olive oil worth $1.9 million. Despite challenges, the outlook for olive cultivation in Pakistan is highly promising, he added.

"People use olive oil and olive-based products not only for their nutritional and culinary value but also because of their religious significance," he explained.

Facing an annual expenditure of approximately $4.5 billion on edible oil imports, Pakistan has launched olive production initiatives in collaboration with Italy, Spain and China.

The efforts aim to reduce import costs and achieve self-sufficiency in edible oil production.

The potential for olive farming in Pakistan is significant, owing to the presence of over eight million wild olive trees and suitable land and climate conditions in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Punjab, particularly the Pothohar region, including Chakwal, Attock and Mianwali.

In recent years, millions of wild olive trees have been grafted and around five million new plants have been cultivated.

More than 10 million acres of land suitable for olive farming remain available.

Azeem Tariq highlighted initiatives such as the establishment of new olive processing mills, the '50 Million Olive Tree' project and a scheme for the promotion of olive cultivation for economic development and poverty alleviation.