According to a report by the China Economic Net (CEN), Beijing mode is set to boost the organic peach growing in Pakistan. The Chinese report had regarded peaches as the ‘Queen of fruits’ in Pakistan and the growing season occurs in May continuing on till September.
According to a report by the Crop Reporting Service of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, around 6,330 hectares are dedicated to growing peaches in the respective province. Whereas Swat had produced 5,280 tonnes of peaches in 2018-2019 and Peshawar around 1,066 tonnes.
Nasir Khan, an orchard owner from Swat, who mentioned that peach is the main source of his income, stated the following:
“If we have advanced cultivating and processing technology, we can add value to our peaches and export to other countries.”
Gao Chengda, a professor of Urban and Rural Development College at Beijing University of Agriculture, added the following:
“The ‘Ecological Bridge’ project focuses on the resource utilization of agricultural waste such as fruit tree branches, livestock and poultry waste, and fallen leaves. We encourage farmers to collect agricultural wastes and animal wastes, and use technical means to make high-quality organic fertilizers. Then we will return them to the fields orderly to realize the resource re-utilization.”
According to Gao, peach growers have begun using the ‘ecological bridge’ project to further accelerate organic growth and for a country like Pakistan where the environment is suited for peach farming, this project can definitely enhance the growth of these fruits.
