The Agriculture Department, in collaboration with local farmers, has converted 200 kanals of barren land into productive olive farms in Loe Shalman, Khyber district. This year, the farms produced 4,000 kilograms of olives, double the 2,000 kilograms harvested last year. Meanwhile, the grafting of 30,000 wild olive plants has also been completed in Bara tehsil.

According to the Agriculture Department, the olive cultivation project in Loe Shalman was launched in 2021. Under the project, three varieties of olive plants were imported from Italy and planted in Darma Korona, Wali Muhammad Korona and Wazir Korona with the support of local farmers.

Officials said the imported varieties include Alovena, Arbequina and Gemlik, which are considered suitable for the climatic conditions and soil composition of Loe Shalman. The healthy growth and promising yield of these plants have encouraged local farmers, who are now interested in making their barren land cultivable to create new sources of income.

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According to an official, following the successful experience of olive cultivation in Loe Shalman, the Agriculture Department is encouraging more farmers to plant olive trees on their land to expand the area under olive cultivation in the district. In this regard, the grafting of 30,000 wild olive plants has also been completed in Bara tehsil.

Meanwhile, a local farmer said pickles had been prepared from the ripe olives, while there were also plans to extract oil from the fruit. He added that the produce had been supplied to local markets as well as markets in Punjab.

The farmer said olive cultivation would provide an additional source of income alongside traditional seasonal crops and vegetables, potentially improving the economic conditions of local farmers.

However, he urged the relevant authorities to provide farmers with high-quality olive plants and install protective fencing around the farms to prevent animals from damaging the trees and help expand the olive cultivation project.