LAHORE : A centre of excellence for Olive Research and Training Centre is being set up in the Barani Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) Chakwal with the support of the USAID for which the Punjab government is spending over Rs270 million.
According to Punjab agriculture department sources on Saturday, all resources were being utilised to make Pothohar region an olive valley. The centre would provide necessary training to olive growers besides providing development services to those associated with the olive business, the sources added.
They said that scientists who conducted research on olive fruit had revealed that olive and extra virgin olive oil obtained from olive fruit available in the country was the best in the world on the basis of its ingredient analysis.
Factory set up to extract oil for olive growers had started working completely and during 2017-18, almost 19,134 kilos olive oil had been extracted and given to farmers.