ISLAMABAD: Olive growers and entrepreneurs from across the country displayed a variety of olive oil and value-added products at a ‘Grand National Olive Gala’ that opened at F-9 Park in Islamabad on Friday. Nearly 85 stalls were set up displaying olive oil and products grown in Punjab, particularly the Potohar belt, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Olive products also include a variety of cosmetics. The two-day olive ala attracted a large number of people who took keen interest in different kinds of olive oil and value-added products. Speaking at the inauguration of the gala, Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain said the government was committed to further developing the olive sector by bringing in innovation, partnerships and investments. Thanking the Italian government for providing technical assistance to promote the olive cultivation in Pakistan, he said the olive sector in the country was grooming and there was a great opportunity for Italian olive companies to make investments in this sector in the country. The initiative of olive oil development is not only for getting olive oil, but it is more of addressing the issues of changing climate, reducing poverty, empower rural communities, reducing the adverse efforts of desertification, land degradation, fixing carbon into soil and meeting the objectives of sustainable development goals, he said. The minister said the government was pursuing measures to promote the olive industry in Pakistan. The efforts of our agricultural scientists have now yielded good results as Pakistan has been blessed with the presence of millions of wild olive trees and potential land availability for further olive plantation, he added. He said olive industry is entirely a new emerging sector which is being developed to diversify the high value agriculture in the country, and there is a need to promote and create awareness of olive value chain in Pakistan. According to Dr Muhammad Tariq, Director General of the Olive Development Project, a study has been conducted in order to explore the indigenous olive flora and their pockets in the country for further interventions. Pilot wild olive grafting on suitable eco-geographical conditions has been initiated with proper certified varieties along with modern grafting kits.