Pakistan mai Zaitoon ki Kaasht | Dr Faiyaz Alam
Speaking at IPS on November 27, 2023 over the potential, prospects and transformative impact of olive farming in Pakistan, Dr Faiyaz – the co-author of the book ‘Pakistan Main Zaitooon Ki Kaasht – Tareekh, Tajurbat, Aur Imkanaat’ and General Secretary Dua Foundation, said that the olive cultivation efforts in the last few years, spanning areas of Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab, have seen the seeding of 5.6 million new olive trees across 50,000 acres of land. Two million of these plants are already yielding fruit and producing several tons of olive oil for local consumption and export.
He highlighted that around 75 percent of Pakistan’s edible oil is imported, and the $4.5 billion that the country spends on this can be saved through olive cultivation, making Pakistan self-sufficient in edible oil.
He deplored the mainstream media’s lack of interest in giving space and time to such issues, as well as the reluctance of governments to acknowledge and reward agricultural scientists and enterprising farmers who have contributed immensely in introducing valuable olive varieties and necessary food processing technologies.
