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WNAM REPORT: Pakistan’s fast-emerging olive oil industry is intensifying efforts to attract Chinese partners, with local entrepreneurs pitching large-scale joint ventures that could generate thousands of jobs and open a new export channel to one of the world’s largest food markets.
Shaukat Rasool, founder of the internationally award-winning brand Loralai Olives, told Wealth Pakistan that his company is in advanced discussions to sign memoranda of understanding with Chinese firms, as Islamabad and Beijing deepen cooperation in high-value agribusiness.
“The recent Pak-China Agri Investment Conference was a great opportunity,” he said. “We are proposing three corporate olive estates spread over 3,000 acres, with a total investment of about $20 million.”
He said the proposed projects would create more than 3,000 direct jobs and within six to seven years generate olive oil worth $18–20 million annually, positioning Pakistan as a competitive new supplier in the global market.
Rasool said Chinese companies are natural partners for Pakistan’s olive ambitions, citing China’s heavy reliance on imports and its growing health-conscious middle class. China imports more than $300 million worth of olive oil each year, he noted.
“Olive oil is medicine for a healthy life,” he said. “China is the most populous country in the world, people are increasingly conscious about health and weight, and Pakistan is well-suited to meet their demand for olive oil.”
He said Pakistan offers Chinese investors clear commercial advantages, including lower land costs and logistics infrastructure developed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). “It is an ideal and win-win opportunity for Chinese companies to invest here,” Rasool said.
