Govt to Set Up Dedicated Olive Oil Council

The federal government has decided to establish a dedicated Olive Oil Council under the National Olive Policy to regulate the country’s rapidly expanding olive industry and reduce dependence on imported edible oils, APP reported on Thursday. The council will act as a central body for coordination, certification, branding, and quality control of olive oil and its by-products. It will also supervise the implementation of the National Olive Policy and Action Plan. The new policy represents a major step toward institutionalizing Pakistan’s olive sector and aligning it with international standards set by the International Olive Council (IOC). It emphasizes sustainable production, rural livelihood improvement, foreign exchange savings, and the promotion of value-added exports through a modern governance framework. A senior official from the Ministry of National Food Security and Research told Wealth Pakistan that the policy aims to transform Pakistan from a nascent olive grower into a competitive global player within five to seven years. Domestic olive oil production has already cut imports by nearly half, while export volumes continue to grow as Pakistani brands gain international recognition. Reflecting this progress, Pakistan’s indigenous olive oil brand LO recently won a silver award at the New York International Olive Oil Competition, competing against over 1,200 global entries from 28 countries. Under the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), olive cultivation in Pakistan has expanded significantly. Between 2014 and 2025, around 33,000 acres of marginal and barren land have been converted into olive orchards, with over 4.3 million trees planted across 60 districts. The total olive ecosystem now covers more than 55,000 acres, home to about 6.9 million trees and over 11,000 farmers. To improve processing capacity, 51 olive oil extraction units are operational across Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The government has also established six fruit-processing units, 14 nursery tunnels, five automated weather stations, and four IOC-standard laboratories to ensure compliance with global quality benchmarks. The initiative is being supported by international partners, including the Government of Italy, through CIHEAM Bari and AICS, which provided €1.5 million for the first phase of the Olive Culture Scale-up Project and an additional €3 million for the ongoing Phase II (2024–27). A €20 million TVET Umbrella Project is also underway to train local technicians and farmers in modern olive cultivation and processing techniques. The official added that the upcoming Olive Oil Council will coordinate these initiatives and develop branding, marketing, and export strategies to establish Pakistan as a credible player in the global olive oil market. “The council will serve as the backbone of Pakistan’s olive economy,” he said. “It will unify public and private stakeholders, support farmers, and open new avenues for export-led growth.” According to the documents, the council will also promote olive tourism, national expos, and nutraceutical product development to diversify income streams for rural communities. The policy envisions olive cultivation not just as an agricultural crop but as a climate-resilient economic sector capable of contributing to national prosperity.