Pakistan has been blessed with a number delicious fruits like mangoes, oranges etc. Cherry is one of the type of fruit, grown in the northern areas of the country. Its life is very limited therefore is to be kept in one degree centigrade for preservation otherwise it gets perished. Its varieties include black, Red and French cherry, a big sources of income for hundreds of families in Gilgit-Baltistan.
At present, only 10 percent of cherries are exported but with proper arrangements, it is likely that more than 200,000 tons of cherries can be exported every year. A 14-member delegation of Chinese businessmen arrived in Gilgit-Baltistan last week on a four-day visit in connection with import of cherries from Pakistan. The Chinese businessmen visited the cherry orchards, packing units and cold storage houses where they observed the production and other processes.
After the successful visit, eleven businessmen left the country on Sunday. The remaining three members will go to their country after signing several MoUs with Pakistani officials, businessmen and representatives of chambers of commerce to facilitate the cherry export to China.
Muhammad Ali Quaid, the Special Assistant to the GB Chief Minister on information technology told the media that the delegation came to Gilgit-Baltistan to check the quality of local cherry, the water treatment process, cold storage facilities and packaging procedure. Before that, the Ministry signed a protocol agreement with Chinese Customs outlining the phytosanitary requirement for exporting fresh cherries to China.
Muhammad Ali Quaid said that another delegation from the quarantine department will come to Pakistan.
Once the Chinese officials fulfil the required SOPs, the Chines government would allow the import of cherries from?Pakistan. The current production of cherry is not exportable as its life is not more than a week at one degree centigrade.
The quality and production style will have to be improved to make the shelf life of cheery for about