LAHORE: A new variety of seedless citrus fruits, grapes and olives can contribute to meet the export needs to fetch much-needed foreign exchange reserves.
Sources in Punjab Agriculture Meat Company (PAMCO) told Customs Today that they had successfully experienced the cultivation of a new variety of seedless citrus fruits in Thal region, seedless grapes in Cholistan region and olive in Pothohar region.
The company imported new varieties of citrus, grapes and olive last year from European and other countries and distributed its plants among farmers, sources added. The PAMCO has divided Punjab into three appropriate cultivation zones, consisting of Thal as citrus valley, Cholistan as grapes valley and Pothohar as olive valley.
It distributed 2,500 seedless citrus mother plants among 25 farmers in Thal region; 12,500 seedless grapes mother plants among 26 farmers in Cholistan region and 83,000 olive plants among 36 farmers in Pothohar.
By now farmers in their respective regions have developed the nurseries to market them after multiplying the mother plants in millions. The company has arranged training workshops at various occasions to train farmers to take care of the plants for high production.
After executing these projects by the PAMCO, farming trends are changing rapidly. They are shifting from traditional crops into fruit orchards adopting new methods, including drip irrigation tunnel farming and latest equipment of agriculture.
