ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - Pakistan has been eyeing an increase in olive cultivation to boost its agricultural growth, said National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, adding it could position the country as a major player in the global olive oil market.
According to the Journal of Agriculture and Food Research from June 2024, Pakistan has 80 million wild and 5 million planted olive trees.
Olives are important for their food and nutritional benefits. Cultivating olives on a large scale in Pakistan will help in meeting the local demand for edible oil in the country.
In 2022, Pakistan became the 19th member of the International Olive Council, the only intergovernmental organization in the world that brings together olive oil and table olive producing and consuming stakeholders. Pakistan exported virgin and extra virgin olive oil worth 1.9 million in 2022.
Speaking at an event in Islamabad for the promotion of olive cultivation on a commercial scale, Pakistan’s National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain said it would not only boost the gross domestic product, but also generate employment in rural areas.
“We will bring an increase in cultivation. We will definitely put this industry in processing and packing,” he said.
“And God willing, that day will not be far when our olive oil will become popular in other countries. Because it contents, as far as I know, are very good.”
“In the last few years, no sector had a contribution in economic growth like agriculture, which accounted for 6.5 percent of GDP,” Hussain said, emphasizing agriculture’s critical role in the country’s economy.
“We have disbursed Rs368 billion ($1.33 billion) into agriculture,” he shared.
“With the addition of olives, we are expecting to inject another up to Rs40 billion ($144.4 million) to further support this sector.”