Saturday, May 09, 2009 – By Saad Hasan – KARACHI: Far away from commercial markets, thousands of feet above sea level in the mountainous Gilgit valley of northern Pakistan, dry fruit growers are getting a price for their produce that is helping them sustain not only themselves but their villages too.
Since a Pakistani company became the world’s first Fairtrade certified exporter of dry fruits, these natives from the underdeveloped region are getting a minimum guaranteed price for their products plus a premium for investing in social welfare projects.
“In 2000, a farmer was getting an average of Rs22.5 per kg for dry fruits,” said Sher Ghazi, CEO of Mountain Fruits Limited, on the eve of World Fairtrade Day on May 9. “Now the same farmer earns Rs110 per kg.”
This became possible after the tasty apricots, dried apples, almonds and organic walnuts from the Northern Areas started being sold in European markets in properly packaged boxes inscribed with Fairtrade mark.
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Mountain Fruits, which was originally part of a welfare project of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, has also set up a factory in Gilgit to properly process dried fruits.
Ismailimail 