Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced that the government will send 100 young agricultural graduates to Italy for specialised training in olive cultivation, production, processing and marketing.
The announcement was made during the launch of Pakistan’s National Olive Value Chain Policy, which aims to turn the country’s growing olive sector into a stronger source of local edible oil, rural income and export earnings.
The training programme will be funded by the Government of Pakistan, with the selected graduates expected to gain practical knowledge from Italy’s well-developed olive industry. After completing their training, they can help improve Pakistan’s own olive production and processing sector.
PM Shehbaz said Pakistan spends around $4 billion every year on edible oil imports. He believes increasing local production could help reduce this import bill and move the country closer to self-sufficiency in edible oil.
Pakistan’s olive sector has expanded significantly in recent years. The country now has more than seven million olive plants, compared with around 500,000 in 2016.
The new policy focuses not only on growing olives but also on oil extraction, processing, packaging, branding and marketing. The government hopes these steps will help Pakistan develop a competitive olive industry and create new opportunities for farmers and young agricultural professionals.
The initiative also highlights the growing agricultural cooperation between Pakistan and Italy, particularly in the development of olive cultivation and related expertise.
