Dawn - By Zahiruddin | 11/21/2016
CHITRAL: The local species of pear called `Shoghori` has great demand in the national market but farmers have failed to ensure its supply as per demand.
Rahmat Din, a fruit merchant, told Dawn that the local fruit market was could not supply such a large quantity of Shoghori to the national market. He said that he had received orders from Islamabad and Lahore for supply of about 20,000 kilograms of the fruit but he failed to fulfil the demand due to its low yield as its growing at commercial scale was yet to gain prevalence among the local farmers.
Known for its mellow taste, deep yellow colour, brittle substance, pleasant aroma and durability for lasting for a longer period of more than seven months without being decomposed, Shoghori was developed to a commercial scale by the agriculture section of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme.
Setting up nurseries, the organisation distributed saplings of the fruit among the local farmers free of cost and imparted them technical training through its agricultural experts.
Mr Din said that the low product ofShoghori was due to the smaller number of its trees as farmers still preferred to cultivate cereal crops of wheat, maize and a number of vegetables. `They plant trees only in the margins of their farms,` he added.
He said that he knew very few farmers, who had developed full-fledged orchards for the pear or other kinds of fruits including cherry, apple and apricot for which the soil of the valley was too suitable.
The trader said that the variety was sold at Rs250 to Rs300 per kilogram in Islamabad and other cities while in Chitral its price ranged from Rs150 to Rs180 presently. `The price doubles in the off season,` he added.
Sajjad Ahmed, a manager at AKRSP, said that the variety of the pear won first prizes for the local farmers in the fruit exhibitions both at national level held in Karachi as well as in Dubai a few years ago.
`After the Dubai exhibition, demand for the variety surged to such a level that it could be sent in many containers but it could not be supplied as the available quantity was too low to be exported,` he added.
The agriculture section of AKRSP have been closed a couple of years ago and there is no other organisation to promote the highvalued fruit trees including Shoghori by raising nurseries.Regarding the origin of the variety, Muhkamuddin, the former chairman of Ayun and Kalash Valleys Development Programme (AVDP), said that it was brought from Badakhshan province of Afghan by the former rulers of Chitral about a century ago.
He said that in some parts of the district, it was also called Tazhian, a term usually used for the people, animals and goods brought from Afghanistan.
Shoghore is a village near Chitral city on Chitral-Garam Chashma Road, which leads to Afghanistan via Gobore Pass and the saying is that its sapling was first raised in the village, so it was named Shoghori after the village.
Ghufranullah, an agriculturist working with an NGO, said that the soil in almost all parts of Chitral except that of the extreme north was suitable for growing Shoghori.
He said that the fruit could fetch a hefty amount of money to the farmers and make them prosperous for which they needed proper help in the form of free saplings and technical guidance.
`One problem in converting their agricultural fields to pear orchards is that they cannot wait for five to six years for the trees to bear fruit and generate income,` said the agriculturist.
0 comments: