Pakistan Oilseed Development Board (PODB) in collaboration with the Barani Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has planned Olive plantation in Punjab on both sides of Motorway to supplement the local oilseed production under an ongoing project titled 'rapid conversion of wild olive into Oil bearing species.'
The plan is still in initial phases under which, linear olive plantation on both sides of the Motorway starting from Kalar Kahar interchange/service area to Islamabad will be carried out. A meeting between the Pakistan Oilseed Development Board (PODB) and Barani Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) officials held in Lahore recently in which Provincial Director PODB Syed Muhammad Nasir Ali and Director BARI Dr Mehmood Awan represented their respective organisations.
Syed Muhammad Nasir Ali talking to Business Recorder here on Tuesday said olive production in the country is very negligible and mainly concentrated in Swat, Mingora, some parts of Peshawar and in South and North Waziristan. However, the fruit of this plantation unluckily could not be harvested due to law and order situation in these areas.
He said that the proposal of linear plantation of olive on both sides of Motorway has been forwarded for 'concept approval' by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Minfa) and Ministry of Communication, so as the steering committee of the project could start further proceedings on it.
According to the initial proposal olive plantation might be started from three points including Kalar Kahar, Chakri and Islamabad and three kilometer linear olive plantation at both sides of the motorway at some suitable location finalised mutually by PODB, BARI and concerned motorway authorities between Kalar Kahar and Islamabad.
While in second phase this plantation would be carried out between Islamabad and Peshawar on the motorways. Nasir further stated that the meeting observed that the implementation of the project proposal would be a great source of information and motivation for all the public groups and particularly the farming community of Potohar area.
This plantation, the proposal added, would make a valuable addition in landscape of the Potohar Region and supplement the local oilseed production, which is too short to meet the demand. Besides the production of Olive fruit, this scheme would also help establishment of local olive oil extraction and food processing industry.