Pakistan Oilseed Development Board (PODB) is making all out efforts to enhance local production of edible oils in a bid to reduce dependency on imported edible oils, which would save the country valuable foreign exchange to the tune of $2 billion per annum.
This was stated by Chairman Pakistan Oilseed Development Board, Ghulam Idress in an interview with Business Recorder. He said that since the establishment of PODB in 1995 the annual growth of oilseeds in Pakistan was 2.56 percent but at present its growth rate is about 5 percent per annum and the PPP-led federal government is committed to further boosting its growth so that self-sufficiency in edible oils may be achieved.
Ghulam Idrees said that the establishment of such an institution is creating opportunities for the farmers and providing high quality edible oil to the people of Pakistan as was the vision of late PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto. In 1995, keeping in view that the country was an agriculture based economy and was spending huge foreign exchange on the import of oilseeds the PODB was established. At the time Pakistanis were consuming about 1.42 million tons of edible oil per annum.
While giving details of the achievements of the board, he said that in 1995, a total 8,000 acres was under cultivation of Canola seed but in 2008-09 it is cultivated on more than 172,000 acres across the country. Similarly sunflower was cultivated on 185,000 acres in 1995 and now it is being cultivated on 929,000 acres, which is a significant achievement. He said that in financial terms domestic production is saving around Rs112 million for Pakistan in foreign exchange. Husk is a bye-product that is contributing Rs28.3 million per annum to the economy.
Mr. Idrees said that in 1995 PODB started plantation of palm oil trees in costal areas of Sindh and Balochistan and now the trees have started producing fruits. Mr. Idress further revealed that in year 2000, the Board supported the plantation of olives in Balochistan and Potohar region and now Pakistan is also producing olive oil. He said that PODB is encouraging farmers to plant olive trees and has provided support in establishing two olive oil tree gardens - in Teshil Talagang of District Chakwal, Punjab and District Nowshera in NWFP.
Mr. Ghulam Idrees said that PODB was providing all the facilities to the farmers of District Dera Ismael Khan and some parts of the Balochistan province so that the production of sunflower could be increased. Similarly PODB was working on producing quality Canola oilseed in NWFP province and its efforts have started producing desirable results as at present Pakistan was producing 46 percent of its Canola oilseed requirements.
While talking about the total domestic requirements of edible oil and its local production, Mr. Idress said that in 2009 Pakistan produced 0.684 million tons of edible oil which is about 24 percent of the total needs of the country and the rest was imported from other countries.
He said that 3.015 million tons of cotton seed was produced locally and from it 0.362 tons of edible oil was produced, sunflower production was 0.598 million tons which produced 0.227 million tons of edible oil.
Idrees said that 1.783 million tons of palm oil, 0.092 million tons of soybean and 0.016 million tons of other edible oils was being imported. Idrees categorically stated that if farmers of the country are provided a favourable environment they could produce sufficient oilseeds in the country to meet local demand.