By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has claimed that the quality of Pakistani olive oil now surpasses that produced in Spain, arguing that the country is well placed to build strong export markets if it invests in processing and branding.
Speaking at an event in Islamabad on a new commercialization strategy for tea production, Iqbal said more than 600,000 hectares of land across Pakistan were suitable for tea cultivation. He stressed that boosting domestic tea production would play a critical role in reducing the country’s import bill and expanding exports.
Pakistan spends around $650 million a year on tea imports, he said, calling the figure unsustainable for an economy already burdened by high external payments. Tea cultivation, he added, was “only the beginning”, and Pakistan could earn billions of dollars by developing the full value chain, from growing and processing to packaging and marketing.
