SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Olive growers in Wana are facing financial losses due to repeated breakdown of an oil extraction machine installed by the agriculture department, with farmers complaining about inadequate maintenance, shortage of trained operators and insufficient processing capacity.
The issue came to public attention on Thursday after a message highlighting the malfunctioning machine, shared by a local farmer, Naimatullah Wazir, went viral in WhatsApp groups.
The farmers said that despite an increase in olive production in Lower South Waziristan, lack of reliable processing facilities was making it difficult for them to extract oil efficiently and preserve value of their harvest.
According to local growers, the machine’s poor performance has resulted in substantial losses and raised concerns about future of olive cultivation, which they consider an important source of income for farmers in the region.
A local farmer said he had brought 13 bags of olives to the facility for oil extraction, with each bag weighing approximately 40kg. The total quantity amounted to 520kg of olives, from which only 22 litres of oil were obtained.
The farmers claimed that the malfunctioning machine had caused one grower a loss equivalent to approximately 75 to 80 litres of oil. They said the low extraction yield was particularly concerning because olive cultivation required considerable time, labour and investment.
Local growers maintained that olives produced in Wana were of good quality. Citing figures from previous years, they said approximately 22 litres of oil had been obtained from every 100kg of olives. They said timely repairs, regular technical inspections and proper supervision could have helped prevent the loss of valuable agricultural produce.
They argued that specialised agricultural machinery should be operated by trained and experienced personnel to ensure efficient performance, reduce wastage and protect farmers from unnecessary financial losses.
Some farmers, they said, were being forced to transport their olives to other districts of Pakistan for oil extraction because of the difficulties at the Wana facility.
The farmers urged the commissioner Dera Ismail Khan, director general of agriculture and other relevant authorities to take immediate notice of the situation, arrange a technical inspection of the existing machine and ensure its urgent repair.
They maintained that improving oil extraction facilities would not only reduce financial losses but also encourage farmers to expand olive cultivation, create opportunities for local economic activity and help the district benefit from its agricultural potential.
Published in Dawn, October 30th, 2026
