Punjab Agriculture department has launched a five year well-knitted plan for converting Potohar region into olive valley. Under the plan government will provide free of cost 20 lakh plants to selected farmers in Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Jhelum,Attock, and Khushab districts of the region.
Sources in Agriculture department told Business Recorder on Sunday that under the directives of the Punjab chief minister special steps had been taken for the promotion of olive crop in the Province. Sources further told that a large number of growers are showing their keen interest in cultivation of olive crop and contacting with the agriculture department for getting olive plants and technical assistance for attaining yielding results cultivation of the crop.
In Punjab, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Attock, Chakwal and Khushab districts were the potential areas for Olive cultivation. Olive orchard cultivation throughout these potential areas of Punjab could produce much quantity of oil, which may certainly bring Pakistan's olive oil import share to zero.
According to the Agri-experts the prevailing environment, minimum/maximum temperature, soil types, average rainfall and other related growth factors in Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Attock, Chakwal and Khushab areas are exactly according to olive cultivation requirements. The marginal lands could be utilized for olive cultivation without replacing the other crops and it will help in reducing the import bill of the country sources added.
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