The 4th Steering Committee Meeting of the Project “Olive Culture – A Holistic and Multi-Professional Mechanism for Pakistan’s Olive Oil Value Chain” was held today in Islamabad, marking another major step towards strengthening Pakistan’s olive industry. The meeting chaired by Capt.(R) Muhammad Asif, Federal Secretary, Ministry of National Food Security and Research, Government of Pakistan and co-chaired by Her Excellency Ms. Marilina Armellin, Ambassador of Italy to Pakistan served as a platform. for strategic discussions and joint efforts.
H. E Mrs. Marilina Armellin, Ambassador of Italy, expressed appreciation for the work done so far in the OliveCulture project in close cooperation between the Ministry and the provinces. The remarkable and commendable pace maintained throughout the project was acknowledged and appreciated. The partnership between Italian and Pakistani experts is considered essential to promote olive cultivation and increase olive oil production. Without this fruitful cooperation, the goals of the project would be unattainable.
Captain (R) Muhammad Asif, Federal Secretary, Ministry of National Food Security and Research, said that the significant success of the project in Pakistan was due to Italian cooperation. While Pakistan’s environment is inherently conducive to olive cultivation, previous government commitments at the provincial and federal levels have had limited impact. Indeed, considerable success was achieved with the technical assistance provided by the Italian partners. Behind the success lies the hard work, effort and tireless efforts of Italian experts and project workers.
Mr. Francesco Zatta, Director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), Islamabad expressed his views by thanking all stakeholders. Support and facilitation was provided by AICS during the extension and expansion of this project. This will be exactly in line with the expected results of the project and action plan that have already been proposed to the federal ministry.
Mr. Marco Marchetti, International Project Coordinator, provided an update on the achievements of the OliveCulture project. He highlighted the transformative potential of olive cultivation, especially in rural communities with available arable land and those without marginal or unused land, as a means of poverty alleviation. He also shared the effects of climate change and how the project considers the olive tree as a means of sequestering CO2.
Dr. Costantino Parma, an international expert, described the financial progress of the project and shared the long-term work plan. He emphasized the determination to complete the activities of the extension phase within the set time frame with the help of the Ministry and the support of other stakeholders.
During the meeting, the steering committee reaffirmed its commitment to support a comprehensive and multi-professional approach to strengthening the value chain of olive oil cultivation and production in Pakistan. Discussions focused on harnessing synergies, optimizing resources and exploring innovative strategies to strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of the sector on both the domestic and international fronts.
Through collective vision and coordinated action, the Steering Committee remains poised to steer the industry on a path of sustainable growth, prosperity and resilience for the olive industry.
The steering committee approved all points of the program and decided to extend the project until June 2024.
