Faiza Tehseen

Agri-tourism can change the fate of farmers for good and bring socioeconomic prosperity to the country as well. “All over the world, farmers are earning handsomely through agri-tourism. And there is a dire need to promote this for economic uplift and food security in Pakistan,” stressed Ghulamullah Saqib, deputy director of the Gilgit-Baltistan’s agriculture department, Skardu branch. He said the agriculture department was working to promote village tourism by guiding people to make their farms attractive, cheerful and productive for agri-tourists. He said the agriculture department had been organising events in the villages, attracting people from all over Pakistan to witness local agriculture varieties. “With the efforts of the department, people are now becoming aware of the importance of agri-tourism.

They are improving their places to generate decent incomes. Some farmers have also built guesthouses in their farms to attract guests.”  Ghulamullah Saqib said that the first event of the agri-tourism series in GB was the apricot fair held in Shigar district in 2019. “Apricot festivals were also held in 2020 and 2021. Now, the fourth edition is going to be held in August this year. The two-day fair has become a calendar event in the region,” he said. A small village – Pharing Bama – consisting of 120 houses was called the Apricot Valley after it was renamed as ‘Khubanistan’, the apricot land, he added. He said that the district administration had branded the village as the ‘Khubanistan Model Agri-Tourism Village’ as about 50% of the overall apricot was produced there.

He said during the previous two to three years, about 200,000 fruit-bearing plants were sown in the village, including apricot, cherry, apple, peaches and plum. The agriculture department official said the second event celebrated in GB was the National Cherry Festival organised in the agri-tourism village of Ghowari in the Ghanche district, which is also called the cherry district. “The cherry festival has been celebrated in June since 2019.” He said another cherry festival was also held there named as cherry carnival. Ghulamullah Saqib added that the apple festival was the third agri-event held in Paari village of Kharmang district in September-October every year. He said the fruit festivals helped farmers promote their products, also highlighting the soft image of the country and the local culture.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk