Olive Plantation in Pakistan

[ABBASIA]

It has been recently reported that the government is trying to convert Chakwal valley into an olive valley. For this purpose, two million olive plants will be distributed in Punjab over the next five years while an olive oil preparing factory is already functional in the region.

Pakistan’s water starved economy is dependent on water intensive crops such as sugarcane and rice (for more information read “Water scarcity and agri-export woes”, published on June 19, 2018). Olive trees are hardy plants with roots so extensive and strong that in time of drought they can survive by drawing water from deep within the earth. They are also able to produce olives for hundreds of years enabling the return on investment for setting up olive trees to be reasonably high and sustainable.

A report by SMEDA estimates that on average, an olive plant produces 20 to 35 kg of fruit per year which contain more than 12 percent oil content. Olives can be sold at the rate of Rs.73 per kg and oil can be sold at Rs. 500 per litre. Estimates suggest that the current there are 8 million wild olive trees present in different provinces, which if drafted and converted for olive production could present a potential of earning of $1 billion annually.

Since an olive plant requires at least 5 years before it can start bearing fruit, it is not feasible for farmers to opt for olive trees on their own. To promote its cultivation, the Punjab government has given a 70 percent subsidy on watering and cultivation and a 60 percent subsidy on installation of drip irrigation systems. The agricultural department has also promised to purchase olives so that farmers can sell their produce immediately.

However, this is not the first time an attempt has been made to create an olive valley. In 2016, Punjab government tried to create an olive valley in Potahar over 15,000 acres of land with a project cost of Rs 2.8 billion. Similarly, Pakistan Economic Survey FY18 lists olive forests in Punjab as part of its Green Pakistan Program, which is an initiative to revive forestry and wildlife resources to make the country more environmentally resilient. However, there has been little evidence of progress or results.

Though the government is providing some support for olive production, it also provides more lucrative assistance to main stream crops such as rice, sugar, wheat and cotton in the form of support prices and subsidies. There is little incentive for farmers to shift to the more prudent, profitable and long term sustainable production of olives. Yet, this shift needs to be made at least in part to decrease pressure on Pakistan’s water resources, decrease the edible oil import bill and tap into the lucrative Middle Eastern market that has high olive oil demand.

Pakistan is producing best olive oil which is being marketed by local companies like Bagh e Zaitoon Pvt Ltd and few others. The oil is of exception quality though it is high priced compared to cheap/low quality imported oils.

 

[Maxpane]

Wooow

 

[ghazi52]

Rawalpindi: The Punjab Agriculture Department (PAD) has formally approved “Olive Valley” for the Potohar region, reported a news source. A pilot project in this regard was launched back in 2017, which turned out to be more successful than anticipated as the olive trees planted back then yielded record production. This lead to PAD officially declaring Potohar region as Olive Valley.

The Agriculture Department has now decided to hire two project directors and two deputy directors for it. Under this project, 500,000 olive trees will be planted in the next year and the count will be made to reach 1 million in the next.

So far, nine million olive trees have already been planted in the Potohar region, which comprises Chakwal, Khushab, Jhelum, and other districts. For the extraction of olives, a factory was also set up at Barani Agriculture Research Institute in Chakwal.

 

[ghazi52]

Olive farming gets boost with arrival of 100000 plants from Spain, Turkey

February 22, 2019

Olive farming in Pakistan has received a strong boost with the arrival of 100,000 olive plants from Spain and Turkey.

The move is part of a project to promote cultivation of olive on commercial basis in the country.

A total of 550,000 plants will be imported under the project which is being implemented by the National Agricultural Centre.

The project for the promotion of cultivation of olive on commercial basis has been approved under the Public Sector Development.

Dr Bari said that a survey of the potential areas had been completed and it was found that these areas were best suited for olive plantation.

The olive cultivation will not only offer an ‘olive branch’ to peace in Fata, but will also serve as a source for livelihood of farmers in the entire Waziristan belt and agencies of Fata.

 

[Azadkashmir]

how does one apply for this in azadk. where do you go ? does government provide or the individual has to buy plants /seeds?. what about land rental for crops.

 

[ghazi52]

It has been estimated that 45 percent of Fata land is suitable for olive cultivation. The highest appetite for cultivation of olive has been found in Bajaur followed by Kurram, North Waziristan and South Waziristan.

According to Dr Bari, there are tremendous benefits for promoting commercial plantation of olive in Fata which include improvement in environment, development of village entrepreneurship, employment generation, improvement in livelihood and value-addition.

In Balochistan, the potential areas found suitable for olive cultivation were Zhob, Khuzdar, Loralai, Kila Saifullah and Musa Khel.

In some of these areas, results of growing olive crop have been encouraging that prompted project officials to include Balochistan in the programme.

It has been decided to install drip irrigation to olive plants on 400 acres of land in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

 

[Maea]

Does anyone need olive plants.
I can send you from Italy.

 

[Pindi Boy]

Does anyone need olive plants.
I can send you from Italy.

For free ?

 

[ghazi52]

Govt to install three olive extraction mills, 6 mobile units

The government is set to install three olive oil extraction mills and six mobile oil extraction units across the olive producing areas in the county to facilitate the olive farmers as well as getting maximum benefits by the value addition of the local produces.


These extraction mills and mobile units would be installed during next crop season with a public-private partnership, which aimed at promoting the olive cultivation and oil production on large scale commercial basis, said Project Direct of Olive Development Programme in the National Agriculture Centre Dr Muhammad Tariq.

Talking to APP here on Wednesday, he said that promotion and development of olive on large scale commercial basis would not only help in reducing the country’s reliance on imported oil to fulfil its domestic requirements like palm and soybean, but also provide super hygienic edible oil to local consumers.

Besides, he said that development of olive on large scale commercial basis would also help in saving the precious national foreign exchange reserves of over 3.7 billion used on the import of edible oil which was costing the country average $ 3.7 billion annually.

Dr Tariq said that about 600,000 acres of land was identified in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Wana and Potohar Region for olive cultivation during next season, adding that olive plantation has so far been completed over 100,000 acres and planted over 5 million live plants.

He said that olive plantation had witnessed encouraging the trend in the country as average 500,000 to 600,000 olive plants were planted every year, adding that the olive was cultivated over 50,000 acres during last year.

Out of the total cultivated crop, about 50 per cent plants had reached to the fruiting stage and every year output was witnessing an encouraging increase, adding that if the ratio continued in same spirit economic benefits of Rs 25 billion would be injected in the national economy, he added.

He said that in order to ensure the maximum survival of the plants, drip irrigation system was also installed over 450 acres, besides work on developing the local nurseries of certified plants were also in progress to produce high yielding plants as according to the local ecological requirements.

The project director said that about 18 training programmes were organized and average 30-35 farmers were trained in each secession, besides organizing an international olive conference to share the international best practices and expertise with local stakeholders.

 

[ghazi52]

کی کاشت ( OLIVE ) زیتون :

زیتون کا باغ لگائیں ۔ ہزار سال تک بھر پور منافع کمائیں
ماہرین کہتے ہیں کہ اگر آپ پاکستان میں ایک مرتبہ زیتون کا باغ لگا لیں تو وہ کم از کم ایک ہزار سال تک پھل دیتا رہے گا. زیتون کن کن اضلاع میں لگایا جاسکتا ہے؟ زیتون کے باغات پنجاب سمیت پاکستان کے تمام علاقوں میں کامیابی سے لگائے جا سکتے ہیں. حتی کہ چولستان میں بھی زیتون کی کاشت ہو سکتی ہے.
لیکن فی الحال زیتون کی کاشت کے حوالے سے حکومتِ پنجاب کی ساری توجہ پوٹھوہار کے علاقوں پر مرکوز ہے.

زیتون کس طرح کی زمین میں لگایا جاسکتا ہے؟
زیتون کا پودا ہر طرح کی زمینوں مثلاََ ریتلی، کچی، پکی، پتھریلی، صحرائی زمینوں میں کامیابی سے لگایا جا سکتا ہے. صرف کلر والی زمین یا ایسی زمینیں جہاں پانی کھڑا رہے، زیتون کے لئے موزوں نہیں ہیں.

زیتون کو کتنے پانی کی ضرورت ہے؟

زیتون کے پودے کو شروع شروع میں تقریبا دس دن کے وقفے سے پانی لگانا چاہیئے. جیسے جیسے پودا بڑا ہوتا جاتا ہے ویسے ویسے اس کی پانی کی ضرورت بھی کم ہوتی جاتی ہے. دو سال کے بعد زیتون کے پودے کو 20 سے 25 دن کے وقفے سے پانی لگانا چاہیئے.ن کے پودے کب لگائے جا سکتے ہیں؟

زیتون کے پودے موسمِ بہار یعنی فروری، مارچ , اپریل یا پھر مون سون کے موسم یعنی اگست، ستمبر ، اکتوبر میں لگائے جا سکتے ہیں

زیتون کے پودے لگانے کا طریقہ کار کیا ہے؟

زیتون کا باغ لگاتے ہوئے پودوں کا درمیانی فاصلہ 10×10 فٹ ہونا ضروری ہے. اس طرح ایک ایکڑ میں تقریبا 400 پودے لگائے جا سکتے ہیں. یہ بھی دھیان رہے کہ زیتون کے پودے باغ کی بیرونی حدود سے تقریباََ 8 تا 10 فٹ کھیت کے اندر ہونے چاہیئں.
پودے لگانے کے لئے دو فٹ گہرا اور دو فٹ ہی چوڑا گڑھا کھودیں. اس کے بعد زرخیز مٹی اور بھل سے گڑھوں کی بھرائی کر دیں. اب زیتون کا پودا لگانے کے لئے آپ کی زمین تیار ہے.
پودے کو احتیاط سے شاپر سے نکالیں تاکہ گاچی وغیرہ ٹوٹ کر جڑوں کو ہوا نہ لگ جائے. گڑھے کی مٹی کھود کر پودا لگائیں اور اس کے بعد پودے کے چاروں طرف مٹی کو پاؤں کی مدد سے دبا دیں تاکہ پودا مستحکم ہو جائے. چھوٹے پودے کا تنا ذرا نازک ہوتا ہے اس لئے پودے کو پلاسٹک کے پائپ سے سہارا دے دیا جائے تو زیادہ بہتر ہے. سہارے کے لئے لکڑی کا استعمال نہ کریں کیونکہ لکڑی کو دیمک لگ سکتی ہے جو بعد میں پودے پر بھی حملہ آور ہو سکتی ہے.

زیتون کی کون کون سی اقسام کہاں کہاں کاشت کی جا سکتی ہیں؟

پوٹھوہار اور اس کے ملحقہ اضلاع کے لئے درج ذیل اقسام کاشت کی جا سکتی ہیں.

نمبر 1. لسینو
نمبر 2. گیملک
نمبر 3. پینڈولینو
نمبر 4. نبالی
نمبر 5. آربو سانا
نمبر 6. کورونیکی
نمبر 7. آربیقوینہ


پنجاب اور سندھ کے گرم علاقوں سمیت دیگر گرم علاقوں کے لئے درج ذیل اقسام کاشت کرنی چاہئیں.

نمبر 1. آربو سانا

نمبر 2. کورونیکی

نمبر 3. آربیقوینہ

یاد رکھیں زیتون کا باغ لگاتے وقت کم از کم دو یا دو سے زائد اقسام لگانی چاہئیں اس طرح بہتر بارآوری کی بدولت پیداوار اچھی ہوتی ہے.

زیتون کے باغ کو کھادیں کتنی اور کون کونسی ڈالنی چاہئیں؟

کھاد دوسرے سال کے پودے کو ڈالیں. دوسرے سال کے پودے کے لئے:

گوبر کی کھاد . . . . 5 کلوگرام فی پودا ڈالیں . . . . اگلے سالوں میں ہر سال 5 کلو گرام کا اضافہ کریں
نائٹروجن کھاد . . . . 200 گرام فی پودا ڈالیں . . . . اگلے سالوں میں ہر سال 100 گرام کا اضافہ کریں
فاسفورس کھاد . . . . 100گرام فی پودا ڈالیں . . . . اگلے سالوں میں ہر سال 50 گرام کا اضافہ کریں
پوٹاش کھاد . . . . . . 50 گرام فی پودا ڈالیں . . . . .. اگلے سالوں میں ہر سال 50 گرام کا اضافہ کریں

زیتون کے پودے کو پھل کتنے سال بعد لگتا ہے؟

عام طور پر 3 سال میں زیتون کے پودے پر پھل آنا شروع ہو جاتا ہے.

زیتون کے پودے پر پھل پہلے سبز اور پھر جامنی ہو جاتا ہے۔ سبز پھل اچار اور جامنی تیل نکالنے کے لئے استعمال ہوتا ہے
زیتون کے باغ سے فی ایکڑ کتنی پیداوار حاصل کی جاسکتی ہے؟

زیتون کے ایک پودے سے پیداوار کا دارومدار اس بات پر ہے کہ آپ نے پودے کی دیکھ بھال کس طرح سے کی ہے.

اچھی دیکھ بھال کی بدولت ایک پودے سے 60 کلوگرام یا اس سے بھی زیادہ زیتون کا پھل با آسانی حاصل ہو سکتا ہے.

لیکن اگردیکھ بھال درمیانی سی کی گئی تو 40 کلوگرام فی پودا پھل حاصل ہو سکتا ہے. انتہائی کم دیکھ بھال سے پودے کی پیداوار 25 سے 30 کلوگرام فی پودا تک بھی گر سکتی ہے. لہذا ماہرین زیتون کے باغات کی فی ایکڑ پیداوار کا حساب لگانے کے لئے 25 کلو گرام فی پودا پیداوار کو سامنے رکھتے ہیں.
اس طرح ایک ایکڑ میں موجود 400 (اوسط) پودوں سے 10000 ہزار کلوگرام زیتون کا پھل حاصل ہو سکتا ہے.

ایک ایکڑ کے پھل سے کتنا تیل نکل آتا ہے؟

بہتر یہ ہے کہ زیتون کے کاشتکار پھل کو بیچنے کی بجائے اس کا تیل نکلوائیں اور پھر اس تیل کو مارکیٹ میں فروخت کریں. زیتون کے پھل سے 20 سے 30 فیصد کے حساب سے تیل نکل آتا ہے. 20 فی صد کے حساب سے ایک ایکڑ زیتون کے پھل ( 10000 کلوگرام ) سے تقریبا 2000 کلو گرام تیل نکل آتا ہے.
فی ایکڑ آمدن کتنی ہو سکتی ہے؟ یوں تو مارکیٹ میں بڑے بڑے سپر سٹوروں پر آپ کو زیتون کا تیل کوالٹی کے حساب سے 800 روپے سے لیکر 1100 روپے ی کلو تک مل سکتا ہے. لیکن واضح رہے کہ یہ سارے کا سارا تیل باہر سے درآمد کیا جاتا ہے جس کی کوالٹی پر ماہرین کے شدید تحفظات ہیں. ماہرین کہتے ہیں کہ مختلف برانڈوں کا درآمد شدہ تیل جو پاکستانی مارکیٹ میں بک رہا ہے یہ خالص زیتون کا تیل نہیں ہے بلکہ اس میں کئی دوسرے تیلوں کی ملاوٹ ہوتی ہے .
گرین ایگرو کی معلومات کے مطابق چکوال میں تحقیقاتی ادارے کے پلانٹ سے نکالا جانے والا تیل کم از کم 2 ہزار روپے فی کلو کے حساب سے بک رہا ہے. واضح رہے کہ چکوال کا زرعی تحقیقاتی ادارہ کسانوں کو تیل نکالنے کی مفت سہولت فراہم کر رہا ہے.
اگر ریٹ واقعی دو ہزار روپے فی کلو گرام ہو تو آمدن کا حساب آپ خود لگا سکتے ہیں. گرین ایگرو نے آمدن معلوم کرنے کے لئے 800 روپے فی کلو گرام کے ریٹ کو سامنے رکھا ہے.

اس طرح سے 2000 کلو گرام تیل سے حاصل ہونے والی آمدن تقریباََ 16 لاکھ روپے بنتی ہے. اگر باغ کی اچھی دیکھ بھال کی جاے تو امدن دوگنا ھو سکتی ھے
یہ تو آپ جانتے ہی ہیں کہ زیتون کے پھل سے تیل کے علاوہ اچار اور مربع جات بھی بنائے جاتے ہیں. اور ویسے بھی جس درخت کی اللہ نے قرآن میں قسم کھائی ہے اس میں نقصان کیسے ہوسکتا ہے

 

[ghazi52]

Olive cultivation in Pakistan to receive boost.‬

 

[ghazi52]

In Pakistan’s olive-rich tribal areas, lone oil plant begins operations

Locals in Bajaur district pack olives for onward delivery to the processing plant on Tuesday,
28 October 2019

REHMAT MEHSUD

• Olive oil derived from improved plant varieties is intended for export by next year, officials say
• Local olive farmers in the region are looking to cash in on the increase in interest and demand

PESHAWAR: The first ever olive processing plant set up in a Pakistani tribal district, in a region that borders Afghanistan, has started producing olive oil, the top district administrator said on Thursday.
Wild olive plants grow in the millions in the erstwhile tribal regions, but until about a decade ago, these plants had little commercial value and were used mainly for timber and fire-wood.
But following the grafting of 150,000 wild olive plants into cultivars, an artificially bred and improved variety of the plant, the olive oil processing plant in Bajaur is now in business. The cultivars are created through grafting, where a single bud from a desirable tree is slipped into the bark on a small seedling to produce farmer-friendly varieties of the plant that are resistant to diseases, have a low juvenile period and a longer fruiting life.

Olive fruits picked and ready for processing at Bajaur’s oil processing plant on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019 (Photo credit: Bajaur agriculture extension department)

“Oil production has started but in low quantity. I hope from next year, oil production will increase for commercial purposes,” Muhammad Usman Mehsud, deputy commissioner of Bajaur, told Arab News, and added that efforts had been intensified to begin exporting the oil from next year.
“The agriculture extension department intends to graft 1.6 million wild olive groves through improved olive varieties. Right now, we have up to 6,000 grafted olive plants bearing fruit,” he said.

Bottles of refined olive oil labelled “Bajaur Olive Oil,” on display, from the district’s first oil processing plant. Oct. 22, 2019 (Photo credit: Bajaur agriculture extension department)



Olives, known locally as Zaintoon or Khuna, have 30 different species and a life span of between 900 to 1,000 years. According to experts in Pakistan, they are one of the world’s most drought resistant trees and thrive well where annual average rainfall is between 900 to 1,000 mm without irrigation.
Of the grafted olive species, 30,000 olive plants are already bearing fruit, Zia-ul-Islam Dawar, the district agriculture officer, told Arab News.
“One olive plant produces 60 to 70 kg of oil, while the processing plant has the capacity to produce 200 kg of oil per hour,” he said and added that his department planned on grafting wild olive groves under a government scheme known as the ‘Promotion of Olive Cultivation for Oil Production in Bajaur.’

Pickled olives from Bajaur’s first ever olive processing plant. Oct. 22, 2019 (Photo credit: Bajaur agriculture extension department)



“The agriculture department has established new orchards on 160 acres of land in the district under various developmental schemes in the year 2018-19,” Dawar said, and added that the farmers too, are looking to cash in on the increase in business in the region.
One liter of olive oil costs approximately Rs. 1,600 ($10) in the open market.
Shah Khalid, a tribal elder and farmer, said the district’s tribesmen were enthusiastically participating in the planting and development of olive cultivars due to the increase in demand in local as well as international markets.

A bottle of olive oil, a product of Bajaur’s lone oil processing plant. Oct. 22, 2019. (Photo credit: Bajaur agriculture extension department)



“More and more farmers are now inclined to establish olive orchards in Bajaur because they know about its skyrocketing price. I suggest the government should declare Bajaur Pakistan’s olive valley to spur a revolution in the economy and to woo more growers and investors,” Khalid said.

Parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the newly-merged tribal districts have conducive agro-climatic conditions for olive plantation, with 36,000 million wild olive trees growing in Pakistan’s mountainous tribal areas, he said.
Olive oil is used in Pakistan and around the world for cooking, eating, confectionary, cosmetics and for its many health benefits.

 

[ghazi52]

Pakistan Plants More Olive Trees

As part of a tree planting campaign, 120,000 olive trees are being planted in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

Half of the new saplings to be planted were grown in nurseries on-site while the rest were imported from Italy. The olive plantation will cover a total area of 14,000 acres (5,665 hectares) in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province in terms of area, which is located in the south-west of the country.

The recent olive tree planting drive is part of a campaign launched by the Pakistan Agriculture and Research Council (PARC), an agricultural research organization based in the capital Islamabad.

The project is part of ongoing efforts to transform barren land into cultivable plots and promote the province’s agricultural sector while introducing alternative crops for local farmers. There are also plans to build a new olive oil mill in the provincial capital Quetta.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan’s northernmost region, the government of Gilgit-Baltistan has announced plans to plant three million olive trees within a period of three months as part of an environmental conservation project. Parts of this region have experienced deforestation and negative environmental effects like soil erosion, landslides and flash flooding. Under the supervision of the forest and wildlife department, students of local schools and colleges are being encouraged to participate in the drive by planting olive trees.

Pakistan is not a traditional olive-producing country but a wild subspecies of the olive tree called olea cuspidata does grow in different parts of the country. Since 1986 olive trees have been planted experimentally, starting with a project funded by the Italian government. Another government project to plant over five million olive plants was unsuccessful when only one percent of the saplings survived. However subsequent planting drives have borne fruit.

Olive Cultivation at ARI Sariab
Similar projects implemented in several provinces throughout the country aim to promote olive cultivation and increase the production of edible oils. They have included training programs for local farmers in olive cultivation, processing and pest control, and the setting up of oil extraction mills.

The Pothwar region in the northeastern corner of the country is being developed into an “olive valley” after being identified as a region suitable for olive cultivation because of its topography and climate. Under a current five-year project running until 2020 and also managed by PARC, 2.4 million olive trees are being planted there as a cash crop.

Olive oil is already produced in Pakistan along with a number of other products for sale on the domestic market like olive jam, chutney, pickles and olive-derived products like olive syrup, olive vinegar, olive sweets and olive tea.

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Olive nursery in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

 

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How to Start Olive Farming (Fruit Cultivation) in Pakistan


Olive oil is an expensive item and is used by the people who are health and hygiene conscious. Beside this it is also used in different cosmetics and for massage purposes. Initially only imported olive oil and olive products were available in local market but now local companies / farmers have started producing Oil and other products in Pakistan. Now olive farmers can sell their yield in local market to manufacturer and olive exporters as well. The Barani Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) located in Punjab’s Chakwal district, has already planted 473,265 olive trees in the region so far. The BARI reveals that the massive Olive Valley Project is not only providing olive saplings to local farmers, but also technical support on olive grove management and financial support for water resource development and drip irrigation.

Pakistan is a country conducive to small scale farming where olive cultivation provides an opportunity for enhancing income of under privileged. Olive cultivation is an upcoming opportunity in Pakistan since it requires very less water as compared to other crops. Beside this it can be cultivated on barren land which is normally un-utilized. It can play a major role in the economy of country as the price of olives is high in market. Fruiting age of Olive plants is about 250 years and a great immune power of plants which help to survive with less water and cold weather.

Since the olive sector in Pakistan is not highly developed, there are great variations in the production and consumption cycle of olive oil and its by products. The production is especially dependent upon the natural environment and weather. Similarly, the consumption cycle is determined by the price and availability. Due to these reasons it is difficult to forecast the actual requirements for olives. Similarly, appropriate infrastructure, processing facilities and transportation also plays an important role in the marketing and profitability of olive fruits and its bi-products. Focus on healthy and certified cuttings/ bulbs, land preparation, sowing pattern, water management, fertilizer application, hiring of skilled personal, pest management, and varieties along with marketing is required to run business successfully.

The Olive cultivation business can be started at any capacity but due to its economic commercial viability the proposed project is designed as olive farming, spreading over a land area of 50 acres. The cuttings of olive / plants would be purchased from local private nurseries, agriculture research centres and agriculture extension departments and raised in conventional farming system. Olive plant is drought tolerant, therefore, the water requirement is much lower than apple, peaches and apricots and closer to almonds, pomegranates and grapes. Olive plantation may come as a boon for farmers in Barani areas. The wild trees in government owned forests should be grafted with European-type olive varieties in Pakistan.

The target market for the Olive Farm is local. Major buyers and processors of the olive are in larger cities such as Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad whereas; other potential areas of the country can also be targeted upon demand. In addition to local markets an enormous export market for the olive oil and its byproducts exists in Europe, USA, Middle East, etc.

Areas Suitable for Olive Farming in Pakistan
The wild species of olive are found abundantly in different parts of the country particularly in the provinces of Punjab, KPK and Balochistan which indicate that improved varieties can also be grown successfully. The survey of potential areas of Pakistan with suitable ecology for olive cultivation indicates that olive can successfully be grown in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Gujrat, Jehlum, Sialkot, Narrowal, Khushab, Mianwali, Swat, Dir, Malakand, Loralai, Zhob, Barkhan, Mastung, Khuzdar, Quetta, etc., with suitable management practices. Improved varieties of olive imported from Italy have been planted in Swat, Dir, Malakand, Loralai and Islamabad. In addition to Italian cultivars, four Turkish olive cultivars were also introduced and planted in Islamabad for evaluation studies. Some of these cultivars have shown good performance and giving good yield in Baluchistan and Islamabad.

Olive Farm Management
Olive fruit production in Pakistan is not an organized sector so there is need to understand its technical parameters which are explained below.

Plantation & Growth Requirements

Olive plants show its growth well on poor soils even without fertilizer. It can also thrive in rocky and shallow soils. There are few essential requirements for healthy growth of plants. Following are the requirements:

• Hot dry summer
• Being successfully grown under rain fed conditions (200-900 mm annual rainfall)
• Winter chilling requirement (150-300 hours at temperature below 7°C)
• Flowering temperature 25°- 30°C (March)
• Varieties vary in temperature requirement
• Italian – most cold tolerant (-8°C)
• North African (Moroccan & Tunisian) most tolerant to high temperature (36°- 41°C)
• Variety of soil type (from sandy to clay) best soil light well drained

Planting an Olive Tree

It is very important to grow the olive plants according to recommended standards as it affects the fruit bearing capacity of the plants. Plants should be planted in square system and distance should be 20×20 feet between the plants on the plain land and on sloppy land it may not be less the 15×15 feet.

• Layout: Square system;
• Planting Distance: 20×20 feet (in plain lands), 15×15 feet (in slopes or hilly areas);
• Pit Digging: The measurement of pit should be 1m3 (3x3x3 feet);
• Pit Filling: Pit must be filled by a homogenous mixture of soil, silt and FYM with the ratio 1:1:1. 2-3 irrigation must be applied for proper decay of FYM;
• Plating of olive trees can be done in two seasons: spring and autumn. Spring planting should be preferred because of provision of longer growth period.

The distance between the plants is 20 X 20 feet and the space between the plants can be utilized for cultivation of other crops for initial six to ten years of age of the plants. However, it is recommended that such crops should be cultivated between the plants which have low height and require less irrigation.

Fertilizers on Production

Using fertilizers containing Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potash, the yield of the crop can be maximized. Proper fertilizer application plays vital role in good growth and optimum fruit yield. Proper combination of FYM, Phosphorus, Potassium and Nitrogen provided balanced nutrients to fulfill needs of developing and mature fruiting trees.

• Fertilizers of all kinds are available locally.
• Pesticides of different natures are also available locally.
• Water is available from canal or can be used from peter engine.

Irrigation depends on following three factors:

• Age of plant
• Soil texture and structure
• Temperature and rainfall

Young plants require regular irrigation for three years, however, for bearing plants three to four irrigation / year are required. Olive Plant is drought resistant but for commercial cultivation regular irrigation is necessary.


Investment Required for Olive Farming in Pakistan

Growing Olive trees is a profitable business and olive trees have more than 250 years of life and it can grow on barren lands. On an average an olive plant produces 20 to 35 kg of olive fruits per year which contain more than 20 % of oil contents. The olive fruit can be sold out in the market at the rate of Rs. 100/- to Rs. 200/- per kg and extracted oil can be sold at the rate of Rs. 700/- to Rs. 3,000/- per liter based on the oil variety and purity. Growing Olive in 50 acres with modern farm management techniques can be a long lasting business. It is recommended that land should be purchased in the suggested rural areas.

The total initial project cost for setting up Olive Cultivation farm is estimated at Rs. 50.93 million.

 

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Olive oil made in Pakistan!
It is excellent. A great cooperation between aics cooperazione and Pakistan Ministry of Food Security. Soon available in shops locally.