Palm Cultivation to Change Country’s Destiny: Murtaza Wahab

WEB DESK: Sindh government has decided to set up a laboratory to promote palm cultivation in the province as it believes that palm oil production would change the country’s destiny.

The 16th meeting of the governing body of the Coastal Development Authority (CDA) was held under the chairmanship of Sindh government Spokesman and Environment and Coastal Development Adviser Murtaza Wahab.

In the meeting, it was decided to set up a laboratory with the government’s aid to increase the production of palm oil. The measure will be taken after the successful experience of local production of palm in the Thatta district.

The laboratory will be established to figure out the ways in which the maximum yield of palm could be attained at minimum cost.

Addressing the participants, Wahab said that there was no other example in the history of the country of successful indigenous production of oil palm.

He said that the environmental department had pointed out the land area for palm cultivation in Kathore and the trees bore a high-quality fruit.

The coastal areas of Sindh have excellent potential for palm production that must be put to good use in the future.

He said that the Sindh government’s department of environment, climate change, and CDA initially planted palm oil seeds on 150 acres of land which have now grown into fruit-bearing trees.

The official added that the mill set up in the Ghulamullah Town for oil production has also become functional.

The adviser said that the country could save up to the US $4 billion annually with local production of palm oil and save valuable foreign exchange.

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He said that after the successful completion of the pilot project, oil palm trees would now be grown on 1,500 acres on the land acquired from the forest department.

Wahab expressed indigenous palm production was a milestone for Pakistan. Such projects will play a key role in the prosperity of the country, he added

Sindh government first launched the Thar coal project but people criticized it too.

Murtaza Wahab said that the Sindh cabinet had approved the construction of a crushing mill in Thatta for the production of palm oil.

He asserted that the private sector was also taking interest in the project.

Further, the financial experts said that Pakistan’s palm oil import bill was huge.

However, if the initiative by the Sindh government goes successfully, it would be a cool-wind-blow for the economy. They said that exporting palm oil would help lifting the country’s crippling economy.