Zubair qureshi Islamabad
Ambassador of Italy, Ms Marilina Armellin has expressed her appreciation at the pace and output of Olive Culture Project with the close cooperation of the Ministry of National Food Security & Research.
She expressed these views while addressing the 4th Steering Committee meeting for the “Olive Culture – Holistic and Multi Professional Mechanism for a Pakistani Olive Oil Value Chain” Project convened on Thursday.
This, she said, marked another significant step towards enhancing Pakistan’s olive sector.
The meeting was jointly chaired by the Italian ambassador and Federal Secretary of the Ministry of National Food Security & Research Chaired by Capt (R) Muhammad Asif.
The meeting served as a platform for strategic discussions and collaborative efforts.
The partnership between the Italian and the Pakistani experts is bound to nurture olive cultivation and enhance olive oil production, said the ambassador adding without this fruitful collaboration, the objectives of the project would be unattainable.
Capt. (R) Muhammad Asif also addressed the meeting and held that the project’s significant success in Pakistan owed much to the Italian collaboration. While Pakistan’s environment is inherently conducive to olive cultivation, prior government engagements at provincial and federal levels were limited in this regard.
The substantial success was realized with the technical assistance provided by the Italian partners, he said adding it was possible only due to the hard work, effort and relentless pursuit by Italian experts, and project staff.
Mr. Francesco Zatta, Director Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), expressed gratitude to all the stakeholders.
The support and facilitation provided by the AICS were assured for the extension period as well the scale-up of this project.
“This will be exactly aligned with the expected results of the project and action plan already proposed to the federal ministry,” he said.
Mr. Marco Marchetti, International Project Coordinator, provided an update on the achievements made within the OliveCulture Project. He highlighted the transformative potential of olive cultivation, particularly in rural communities with available arable land and those without marginal or unused land, as a means of poverty alleviation. He also shared the climate change effects and how the Project is considering the Olive Plant as a means to CO2 sequestration.
Dr. Costantino Parma, International Expert elaborated on the project’s financial progress and shared the work plan for the extension period. He underscored the commitment to completing extension phase activities within the designated timeframe, with the assistance of the Ministry and other stakeholders’ support.
The meeting reaffirmed its commitment to fostering a comprehensive and multiprofessional approach toward enhancing the value chain of olive oil cultivation and production in Pakistan. Discussions focussed on leveraging synergies, optimizing resources, and exploring innovative strategies to bolster the sector’s resilience and competitiveness on both domestic and international fronts.
