BEIJING: Technical cooperation in olive cultivation and olive oil production should be the focus of agricultural cooperation between China and Pakistan, said Chinese scholar Prof. Cheng Xizhong.
Cheng who is visiting Professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law noted that both China and Pakistan attach great importance to deepening and expanding cooperation in the agriculture sector under the framework of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Prime Minister Imran Khan recently said large-scale olive cultivation would prove to be the best investment for Pakistan in terms of earning valuable foreign exchange, creating employment opportunities and ensuring food security while addressing the launch of nationwide olive cultivation drive starting from Nowshera.
Prof. Cheng added, Pakistan has immense potential in cultivation of olive trees owing to suitable topography and climate from north to south.
Olive is a subtropical evergreen tree, cold and drought resistant, as well as a long-lived tree with strong growth capacity.
Therefore, water scarce areas such as Suleiman Mountains near Waziristan, plains in Balochistan and diverse terrain in Punjab offer environment for low-irrigation olive farming.
If olives are planted on all arable land in Pakistan, the country could become one of the world’s leading olive oil producers and exporters.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has repeatedly stressed the importance of national security, including food security.
The Prime Minister had empasisedthay it was time for Pakistan to get a stronghold of national security by expanding its domain inclusive of climate change, economic stability and food security, besides focusing on defense preparation.
In the post-pandemic era, food security is a global challenge, and all countries in the world attach great importance to it. – Agencies
