Daily Times

To sensitize olive farmers, the Agriculture department on Tuesday organized an awareness session where free saplings of olive were distributed to the agriculturists here in agriculture office, Landi Kotal.

During the ceremony, Director Agriculture (expansion) Ziaul Islam, Assistant Commissioner Landi Kotal Akbar Iftekhar, Agriculture Officer,Landi Kotal Jawad Khan beside number of local farmers and residents were in attendance.

Addressing the participants, Director Agriculture Ziaul Islam said that under the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) project, 5000 saplings would be planted in the district.

He added that plantation of olive was a cash crop and that it would benefit the growers.

As compared to other adjacent districts, land of Khyber is more suitable for plantation of olive he added, and urged the agriculturists to extend their cooperation to the agriculture department by setting up more gardens in the districts.

The agriculture department official said that earlier the scheme had been materialised in Bajaur and farmers of the district earning millions from the cultivation of the olive plants.

Agriculture department field officers Raza Khan and Haji Sabir Afridi said that a survey of a number of sites had been conducted for the growing of olive and its saplings had been already planted in Shelman, giving positive results.

The officials also planted saplings of olive in the premises of the district agriculture office.

At the end the Director of agriculture and Assistant Commissioner Landi Kotal distributed olive saplings among the growers.