KARACHI : A palm oil extraction plant being run by the Sindh’s Environment and Coastal Development departments has started production.

Sindh’s Adviser for Environment and Coastal Development, Brrister Murtaza Wahab visited the palm oil extraction plant and the palm tree fields in Thatta district.

Wahab termed the completion of the pilot project a milestone for palm oil local production. He said oil palm trees had been planted on 50 acres of government land under a pilot project and all the trees had now grown up for oil extraction.

Provincial adviser said that the palm oil extraction plant will produce two tonnes of oil per day.

“Pakistan annually spends four billion dollars’ foreign exchange over the import of palm oil,” Murtaza Wahab said.

He said the local production of palm oil would help the country substantially save its precious foreign currency reserves.

He said after successful completion of the palm oil pilot project the government of Sindh has decided to further expand the project and allocated more land for plantation of the oil palm trees.