BEIJING: A 15-member Chinese delegation will travel to picturesque Gilgit-Baltistan region to explore options for buying and importing cherries from Pakistan, Commercial Counselor, Pakistan Embassy, Beijing Ghulam Qadir said.

Chinese buyers hailing from Xinjiang, Zhejiang and Shandong provinces as well as Weifang area will arrive in region home to cherry orchards in Pakistan on May 15 on four-day visit, he told APP.

They will meet local farmers and relevant officials and visit cherry orchards and inspect quality of exotic fruit, he added.  Under protocol, China will not only import cherries from Pakistan but also help local grower to enhance production. Currently, China imports bulk of its cherries from South American countries to meet growing demand. However, transportation cost and time is major predicament. Ghulam Qadir informed that annual demand of Chinese market is around 350,000 metric tonnes but Gilgit-Baltistan produces around 5,000 metric tonnes of cherry per season.

And since local consumption is limited, growers export fruit. Cherry is an easily perishable fruit with little shelf life so Pakistan has been looking for nearby destinations to export cherry. Ghulam Qadir said it is very important for our growers to improve farming practices by using latest and modern technology. He emphasised importance of processing and packaging facilities to increase shelf life of fruit and make its transportation easy and viable.

Published in The Daily National Courier, May, 08 2023

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