The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal) will prepare feasibility report on olive cultivation in Pakistan within the next three months, and undertake a project to motivate the farmers about its cultivation. The ministry has been asked to prepare the project for approval before June 2008, sources told Business Recorder here on Thursday.
According to sources, the government has been trying to encourage the olive cultivation for a number of decades but without success. "The farmers are reluctant to cultivate it because they prefer major crops like wheat, sugarcane and rice. "If our farmers cultivate olive crop, they can earn move because its price in international market is going up day by day," sources said.
It is true that the very first olive harvest would be available in 6-7 years after planting. That is why the potential farmers are hesitant. But they should realise that once they plant the olive, they would get higher profits as compared to other major crops, sources said.
According to them, Minfal would take three months to prepare its feasibility report, and then its project would be designed. For olive crop, 'drip irrigation' is suitable as it minimises the use of water by allowing it to drip slowly to the roots of the plant. Sources said that the government would have to install an oil extracting machinery after cultivation of olive in the country.
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