Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain held a high-level meeting with the Portuguese Minister for Agriculture and the Sea, H.E. Mr. José Manuel Fernandes in Lisbon to strengthen bilateral cooperation in agriculture, food security, olive sector development, and climate-resilient farming.
Welcoming the growing partnership between the two countries, Rana Tanveer Hussain highlighted Pakistan's remarkable progress in the olive sector, stating that more than 7 million olive trees have been cultivated across 55,669 acres, supported by modern olive oil extraction units, processing facilities, quality testing laboratories, and a rapidly expanding value chain.
The Minister emphasized Pakistan's vast investment potential in olive cultivation, processing, packaging, and value-added products, while highlighting the investor-friendly incentives offered under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and the Board of Investment (BOI), including 100 percent foreign ownership, long-term land leases, duty-free import of agricultural machinery, tax incentives, and one-window facilitation for investors.
Rana Tanveer Hussain invited Portuguese investors and companies to explore joint ventures and public-private partnerships in Pakistan's olive sector, describing the country as an emerging destination for sustainable agricultural investment.
The two sides discussed expanding cooperation in agricultural research, mechanized harvesting, olive oil extraction technology, quality certification, value addition, and capacity building through institutional linkages between research organizations of both countries. They also exchanged views on promoting climate-smart agriculture, efficient water management, drip irrigation technologies, and sustainable land management practices.
The Federal Minister reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to the International Olive Council (IOC) following its accession as a permanent member and expressed Pakistan's resolve to align national standards with international benchmarks to enhance the global competitiveness of Pakistani olive products.
Highlighting the importance of stronger people-to-people and institutional ties, Rana Tanveer Hussain extended a cordial invitation to H.E. Mr. José Manuel Fernandes to visit Pakistan and witness first-hand the progress achieved under the National Olive Programme, while exploring new avenues of mutually beneficial cooperation in agriculture, trade, technology transfer, and investment.
The Portuguese Minister appreciated Pakistan's achievements in developing its olive sector and expressed interest in expanding collaboration for the mutual benefit of both countries.
