THATTA: The government’s ambitious plan to boost palm oil production in Thatta, Sindh, by planting palm trees on 1,000 acres of land has faced significant delays in recent years.
According to sources, the main obstacle has been the shortage of raw materials at the government’s palm seed extraction mill, which has prevented the timely planting of palm oil trees as per the planned area.
This shortage has forced Pakistan to rely heavily on expensive imports of palm oil from countries like Indonesia and Malaysia each year.
The Coastal Development Authority (CDA) of Sindh initially aimed to establish palm tree plantations on 1,000 acres in Thatta district, but unfortunately, the project has not progressed as intended.
In a recent meeting chaired by Provincial Minister Ismail Rahu, the CDA decided to launch the palm tree plantation project with an estimated cost of Rs 356 million.
To expand the scope of the project, an additional 2,000 acres of land have been allocated to the Coastal Development Authority.
Furthermore, the Sindh Cabinet has approved the plantation of palm trees on an additional 3,000 acres of forest land to support palm oil production.
Source: Pak Observer
