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Cherry festival in northern Pakistan draws crowds amid growing exports to China
SKARDU, Gilgit-Baltistan: As Pakistan begins to export cherries to neighboring China, a colorful one-day festival in Skardu this week drew hundreds of visitors, highlighting the potential of agri-tourism and cherry farming in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, officials and growers said.
Home to the Khunjerab Pass — the highest paved international border crossing in the world — GB is often described as Pakistan's gateway to China.
The region's cold climate is ideal for growing high-quality fruits such as cherries, apricots and apples.
'This is the 5th National Cherry Festival, and we are organizing Agri-Mela as part of the festival,' Zakir Hussain, deputy director at the GB agriculture department, told Arab News on Friday.
'The aim of this festival is to introduce cherry as a cash crop.'
He said the event, organized in collaboration with the State Bank of Pakistan, aimed to raise awareness about harvesting, marketing and the economic importance of cherries.
According to the GB agriculture department, the region produces 8,000 to 9,000 tons of cherries annually, with dried cherry marketing now also underway.
'Almost 3,000 tons of cherries had been exported to China in 2024,' Hussain said, adding that GB was the leading cherry-producing region in Pakistan.
Local farmers say the festival boosts their income and visibility.
'We have been growing cherries for the last 12 to 13 years and we have 200 to 300 cherry trees in our orchard,' said Skinder Ali, a 40-year-old farmer. 'Whenever the festival is held in Gilgit-Baltistan, we participate. And due to this event, we get access to the market at the national level.'
The festival also attracted tourists from other parts of the country.
'We especially came to Skardu to see the cherries, and we are from Islamabad,' Zohra Begum, a 52-year-old visitor, said. 'We have been visiting [the stalls] for the last hour... The taste of cherries is very good ... So far we have purchased 10 kilograms. Let's see how much we purchase later.'
'I am a traveler and biker from Lahore,' said Mohsin Abbas, another tourist. 'We were in Shigar last night when we came to know about the festival. So we came here... We have tasted the cherries and they are very delicious.'
Ghulamullah Saqib, an agriculture expert and trainer, said the region's climate is well suited for cherries, which require 800 to 1,000 chilling hours to bear fruit.
'There are 14 varieties of cherry that are found in Gilgit-Baltistan,' he added.
