Olive tree plantations have been completed in 3,166 acres of land in the Potohar region to reduce dependence on edible oil imports and bring marginally agricultural land under cultivation, according to head of olive project in Barani Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) Chakwal Dr Ahmad Tariq.The eventual plan is to bring 15,000 acres of land under cultivation by planting more than two million olive saplings. He said that the Punjab government, in collaboration with international development partners and donor agencies, had initiated a five-year ‘olive valley project’ to enhance olive oil production.In order to facilitate and incentivise olive growers, an extra virgin olive extraction plant has been installed to produce high quality olive oil. The plant has the capacity to produce 500 kg oil per hour and is expected to extract 10 tons of olive oil during the current season.Published in The Express Tribune, July 11, 2017.Like Business on Facebook , follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.