Wednesday, 24th April, 2024: Peach of Swat is one of the most famous fruits of Pakistan, the mango may be Pakistan’s preferred fruit heavyweight, but the peach is no slouch either, at least in the country’s northern and northwestern regions stated by Moazzam Ghurki, President Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry during a think tank session held at PCJCCI Secretariat yesterday.
President PCJCCI said that in recent years, Swat has done a great job in boosting tourism. However, the peach industry there was not developed as fast. The benefit that we get from tourism is very little, which is not more than 4 or 5 percent. It will be beneficial if the government gives some packages to the farmers and set up factories, etc.
Fang Yulong, Senior Vice President PCJCCI said that before Swat Motorway was built here, it took 5 to 6 hours to reach Pindi, now the vehicle can reach in 3.5 to 4 hours, which means that two hours have been saved in this way to Faisalabad, Lahore and Karachi. To combine peach industry with local tourism, Swat may get some inspiration from a small township in Xinjiang, China, where a Peach Flower Festival is held and it attracted many tourists. For tourists who came to see peach blossoms, most of them came back to buy peaches when they were ripe. The economic benefits are particularly good. He added that Pakistani government should initiate such festivals to promote tourism and tap potential in fruit and farming sector.
Hamza Khalid, Vice President PCJCCI said that the peaches in Layika Township were not sprayed with pesticides or fertilizers before, and the yield was very poor. In 2020, China cooperated with institutes and developed a sprinkler, which can adjust the spray pressure according to different stages of peach growth, which can help resist infestations and make peach blossoms more beautiful. He added that we should seek help from China’s technological advancements to further growth in this sector. The second phase of Swat Motorway project is a part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). With that, Swat peaches can reach more cities.
Salahuddin Hanif, Secretary General PCJCCI said that we plan to build a platform for peach sales, combining peach production with e-commerce and rural tourism to make this industry stronger and bigger which can also promote farmers’ income.
Hiba Ali Gohar,
Media Manager PCJCCI
