Pakistan takes a seat for the first time as a permanent member of the International Olive Council
新闻台署名 来源：新华社、《黎明报》、《阿拉伯新闻》、阿纳多卢通讯社与《分钟镜报》。由 GSRRA 编辑部翻译并节选。
Pakistan’s Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain (2nd Right) at the 123rd meeting of the International Olive Council (IOC) in Portugal on June 30, 2026. (GoP)
- Pakistan has developed an olive value chain with 51 oil extraction units, processing facilities, says minister
- Pakistan has around 10 million acres of land for olive cultivation, but only 55,000 acres have been developed
Pakistan’s Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain attended the 123rd meeting of the International Olive Council (IOC) in Portugal for the first time as a member, his ministry said on Tuesday, as Islamabad eyes expanding its footprint in the global olive industry.
Pakistan has around 10 million acres of land suitable for olive cultivation but only 55,000 acres have been developed so far. According to official data, only around seven million olive plants have been planted to date out of the estimated 1.3 billion required. The sector could generate over Rs834 billion ($3 billion) annually through olive oil exports at full production capacity.
Addressing the council comprising 27 other olive oil-producing nations, Hussain highlighted that Pakistan has established a complete farm-to-fork value chain for olives, including 51 extraction units, processing facilities, nurseries, weather stations and four IOC-aligned quality laboratories.
“Pakistan has also achieved self-sufficiency in producing certified olive saplings domestically,” he was quoted as saying by the food ministry.
“Pakistan looks forward to playing its cooperative and positive role toward sustainable and climate-resilient development of the global olive oil and table olives sector.”
Pakistan’s IOC membership will enable its olive oil and table olives to be graded according to internationally recognized standards, paving the way for Pakistani extra virgin olive oil to enter high-value markets, the food security ministry said.
In May, Pakistani premium olive oil producer Loralai Olives launched operations in the UAE, targeting exports of Rs139 million ($500,000) by the end of this year.
Reference Link:- https://www.arabnews.pk/node/2649146/pakistan
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
