Exploring olive potential

Abstract

Majority of olive producing countries lies in the Mediterranean basin, contributing around 98% of the world total production of olive and its products. It is grown in 9.4 million ha in the world with a total production of 20.81 m tonnes and a productivity of 2.10 tonnes/ha. Because of its nutritional and health benefits, olive demand has been increased tremendously. In Asia, cultivation is mostly confined to Iraq, Iran and China. However in India, its cultivation is mainly confined to the Himalayan mountain like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand hills at an altitude of 1000- 1600 m above mean sea-level. Despite of its high demand, its vast cultivation potential and high profitability has yet not been exploited commercially. To popularize the olive cultivation in India, scientists of the Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (CITH), Srinagar, evaluated some exotic varieties for various horticultural traits and identified promising genotypes suitable for cultivation in temperate regions.