With the potential to revolutionize the domestic market and offering the prospect of saving a substantial $4.5 billion spent annually on edible oil imports, Pakistan’s olive industry is poised to become the nation’s “Green Gold”. Large-scale olive farming is expected to breathe life into a thriving export market, boosting the economy.
Experts emphasized that Pakistan holds the key to becoming self-sufficient in edible oil within the next decade through the untapped potential of its olive farming, potentially saving a staggering $4.5 billion annually spent on importing edible oils.
The experts reached this conclusion at Islamabad-based research organization Institute of Policy Studies (IPS).
Moderated by Naufil Shahrukh, GM Operations at IPS, the discussion featured insights from Khalid Rahman, chairman of IPS, Dr Faiyaz Alam, general secretary of Dua Foundation, Shabbir Soomro, author, and journalist, and Dr Ghufran Saeed, Assistant Professor at the University of Karachi.
Olive farming potential in Pakistan
Dr Faiyaz Alam and Shabbir Soomro have co-authored a book exploring the history, status and potential of olive (Zaitoon) farming in Pakistan.
The co-authors of the book ‘Pakistan Main Zaitooon Ki Kashat – Tareekh, Tajurbat, Aur Imkanaat,’ shed light on the unexplored potential of approximately 85 million wild olive trees in Pakistan. Soomro emphasized that lack of awareness hinders locals from utilizing this resource fully, a gap their book aims to bridge through extensive research and interviews.
Dr Faiyaz Alam highlighted the transformative impact of arid agriculture, lamenting the mainstream media’s indifference to such issues. He emphasized that recent efforts in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab have seen the seeding of 5.6 million new olive trees across 50,000 acres of land, with 2 million already yielding fruit, contributing to local consumption and export.
The discussion underscored that 75% of Pakistan’s edible oil is imported, and harnessing the potential of olive cultivation could lead to self-sufficiency. Dr Ghufran Saeed emphasized the need for collaboration between academia, industry, and government to overcome obstacles in exploiting agricultural assets like olives.
Khalid Rahman stressed that olive cultivation goes beyond agriculture, constituting a health and national economic imperative. He urged the integration of success stories in olive cultivation into educational curricula and community institutions, foreseeing a transformative impact on Pakistan’s socio-economic fabric.
Key facts – Olive cultivation and production in Pakistan
- Pakistan hosts about 5 million olive trees planted on 17,000 hectares, with widespread olive cultivating efforts beginning in earnest in 2016.
- Pakistan produced 86 tons of mostly virgin and extra virgin olive oil in the 2022/23 crop year, according to the Center of Excellence for Olive Research and Training (CEFORT) officials.
- Pakistan has 12 olive varieties with the highest commercial potential, including Arbequina, Arbosana, Koroneiki, Picual, Hojiblanca and Gemlik.
- Chakwal, a small city situated 100 kilometers south of Islamabad, is known as the heart of Punjab’s olive-growing region.