Dazhou Olive Trees

Dazhou Olive Trees

　　Olive trees are rare, evergreen, perennial woody oil plants in the world. Olive oil serves both culinary and health purposes, holds high medicinal development value, and is a primary ingredient in premium skincare and cosmetic products. Due to the narrow suitable growing regions for olive trees and limited olive oil production, global market demand far exceeds supply. According to statistics from China’s Ministry of Commerce, the world’s annual total olive oil production is only around 800,000 tons, with a market shortfall exceeding 1.8 million tons, resulting in a very pronounced supply-demand imbalance.

　　Dazhou is one of the few sub-suitable growing regions for olive trees in China. It houses the country’s only well-preserved variety resource bank and has established the nation’s largest and highest-quality olive tree parent plantation. Under the technical guidance of the Olive Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Forestry, it has adopted new plant gene enhancement technologies, mastered techniques for advancing olive fruiting by two years and clonal propagation, and successfully bred five early-maturing, high-yield new varieties. Seedling survival rates have significantly improved, and 40,000 mu of olive trees have now been planted. The plan is to plant 100,000 mu (approximately 6.67 million square meters) and 6 million olive trees in Kaijiang and Daxian over three years, aiming to establish the largest olive tree production base in China.