ISLAMABAD: The government, under a mega project being supervised and implemented by Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), has announced to cultivate more than 700,000 olive plants in February-March.
The government has already announced to cultivate olive plants at 50,000 acres in the country till 2019. Under the project, olive plantation has already been completed at an area of 7,166 acres in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administrative Tribal Area (FATA), and Balochistan province.
According to PARC acting Chairman and National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) Director General Dr M Azeem Khan, more than 600,000 cuttings and air layering were practiced for propagation purpose. Of which 20% of these cuttings will be saplings after two years.
Dr Azeem Khan said, the project has developed protocols of two olive varieties for propagation though tissue culture technology. Seven olive nurseries have been established so far and 13 specialized nurseries are in the process of establishment at different components.
The project has also established and managed olive mother blocks at all provincial components which will be useful for propagation of true to type olive plants. The PARC is ready to purchase and install 11 oil mills of different capacity at suitable locations for quick processing of farmers produce, he added.
National Project Director (Olive) Dr Nasir Mahmood Cheema informed that PARC is going to complete new olive plantation under olive commercial project at 8000 acres during 2015-16 beside 34 training conducted and 1250 persons trained at different districts under provincial components for orchard lay-out, orchard management, olive nursery raising and management, Geographic information system (GIS), harvest and post-harvest handling of olive fruit and value addition.
He said, working on another aspect of this important crop to get maximum financial benefits, project has conducted different experiments on value addition of olive fruit for preparation of olive jam, pickle, syrup, bakery items, olive beauty cream and some other makeup items.
To develop cottage industry in target areas, woman farmers are being trained to make olive products by utilizing their own fruit to upraise their standard of living. This activity will play important role in poverty alleviation of respective areas. He said that working in olive sector at this massive scale will generate huge financial impact in the development of economy.
Expected oil after five years of plantation from 50,000 acres is 14 million litres, valued at Rs.28 billion. These activities also create employment generation at larger scale and develop cottage in the country near Pak-China Economic Corridor (CPEC).
