KARAK: The Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak, in collaboration with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority would start grafting of olive saplings on commercial basis in the district in March and for this purpose an awareness seminar was held at Tarkikhel village here on Thursday to brief the local farmers about the plan.

Addressing the seminar, director of the Office of Research Innovation and Commercialisation (ORIC) of the university, Dr Zubair, scientific officer of Pakistan Oil Seed Development Board Dr Azmat Ali and assistant manager Smeda Hafeezullah said that the soil and environment of the district was suitable for olive cultivation.

They said that in the first phase olive would be grafted onto 500 trees and the exercise would then be replicated across the district. They claimed that soon growing olive would become an economic activity in the area.

The experts said that olive was used in the cure of about 70 diseases. They said that they would make an association of farmers to create a network and in March the grafting of olive would be made in the existing orchards of olive.

Dr Zubair asked the farmers to protect the existing olive orchards from cutting.

Later, they visited Speena Banda and Palosa Sar to observe the olive orchards.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2017