A well-knitted plan has been prepared for the promotion of olive cultivation in Punjab and Azad Kashmir. Official sources told Business Recorder here Sunday that Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Jehlum, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Attock, Chakwal and Khushab districts are the potential areas for olive cultivation in Punjab.
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 resultantly enabling its exports to mount. There is a vast potential for olive cultivation in Pakistan, which can be adopted by two different ways like new plantation and grafting the available wild varieties.
According to the research conducted by Barani Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Chakwal, the prevailing environment, minimum/maximum temperature, soil types, average rainfall and other related growth factors in Sialkot, Narowal, Gujrat, Jehlum, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Attock, Chakwal and Khushab areas are exactly according to olive cultivation requirements.
In this context, agriculture department of Smeda Punjab is conducting awareness and training programmes to facilitate the people by creating awareness on olive cultivation techniques and producing value added products.