Daily Times

Owing the adverse impact of climate change, domestic output of olive oil is likely to be reduced by 30 percent during the current season as against the production of last season as crop harvesting started across the olive producing areas.

The downfall in local olive crop output was mainly attributed with the worsening weather patron, impact of climate change, which resulted in devastation of floods, torrential rains, besides change in season cycle that shrank spring season and created heat waves and droughts during crop producing season, said Dr Ahmad Tariq National Project Director of Olive Cultivation in National Agriculture Research Center (NARC).

Talking to APP here on Monday, he said that due to these reasons, the crop matured earlier and started falling from the trees, adding that it forced early harvesting with high content of moisture, which was another reason to reduce extraction of extra virgin olive oil. He informed that last year over 110 tons of extra virgin olive oil of international standards extracted, besides producing about 100 tons of other olive value added products and ensured proper rate of returns to growers across the country.

Meanwhile, he said efforts a foot to enhance area under olive cultivation as the government was intended to bring over 9,000 hectares under olive cultivation, adding that 1.2 million olive plants would be planted during current financial year. He said that so far olive grew over 39,000 hectares as the government has set a target to enhance the areas under olive cultivation to 70,000 hectares, besides grafting on wild olive trees standing over million of hectares, adding that it would strengthen the efforts to produce exportable surplus with in stipulated time frame.

Dr Tariq informed that during current season about 500,000 wiled olive trees would be grafted, besides proving basic training to farmers to enhance area under oil seeds production, adding that the initiative would help to enhance farm income of rural farming communities.