Pakistan’s olive cultivation spreads to 60 districts; 12,000 farmers engaged

Pakistan’s Olive Cultivation Spreads To 60 Districts; 12,000 Farmers Engaged

Pakistan’s olive cultivation drive has expanded to 60 districts under the PSDP Olive Project, engaging 12,000 farmers as the country develops a farm-to-fork value chain covering cultivation, processing, quality control and value addition.

(Published September 23, 2026 | 12:40 PM)

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Sep, 2026)

According to official documents, more than 7.5 million olive trees have been planted nationwide over around 60,400 acres under various development programs, including:

• Federal and provincial initiatives
• International development programs

Of these, 66%, or 5 million trees, have been planted under the PSDP Olive Project, which covers 60 districts and engages 12,000 olive farmers.

Another 6,594 acres of olive groves have been equipped with water-saving irrigation systems to improve water-use efficiency.

Pakistan boasts over 4 million hectares of potential olive plantation area, complemented by millions of wild olive trees. The country has identified defined olive-growing clusters across different zones and approved 22 olive varieties for cultivation.

Initially dependent on sapling imports from Mediterranean countries, Pakistan has transitioned to domestic propagation of olive plants since 2022 through public-private partnerships and targeted capacity building, helping save foreign exchange.

Concurrently, development of processing infrastructure has accompanied the expansion in cultivation:

• 51 olive oil extraction units have been installed across Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
• 15 extraction units were established under the PSDP project.
• Other facilities received support from provincial governments, the World Bank, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, TIKA, and other agencies.

Supporting infrastructure includes:

• Six fruit-processing units
• 500 pre- and post-harvest kits
• 14 DS nursery tunnels
• Five weather stations
• Four laboratories equipped for olive oil quality analysis.

Human resource development has also been a key component of the initiative, with:

• 276 capacity-building programs benefiting 17,986 stakeholders nationwide. These covered orchard and nursery management, post-harvest handling, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), oil extraction, and value addition.
• Over 36 publications on various aspects of the olive value chain.
• Dedicated project websites, educational YouTube channels, and an interactive dashboard for information dissemination and awareness among stakeholders.

The olive sector has also embraced entrepreneurship and value-added production, with over 100 entrepreneurs now engaged in olive oil and related products like pickles, jams, cosmetics, soaps, and nutraceuticals, each with their own brands.

Maintaining quality standards to support future exports remains a significant focus of the project.