13 Oct Off-season Vegetable Production & Value Addition In Fruits For Increased Income

Pari is a nice scenic valley in the Kharmang district about 92 kilometers from Skardu. It is an agriculture-rich valley with one of the best quality Apple “Suspolo” known for its unique aroma and taste. After the spread of information about ETI-GB’s designed program for forming a farmers cooperative, Paari farmers contacted VCTAT and requested support in establishing “Kharmang Suspolo Pari Cooperative Society” (KSPCS) with 276 farmers as members, out of which 16% are women farmers and 40% is youth.

After the cooperative was registered, business planning sessions were conducted and two value chains – apricot and apple were prioritized. Under the business plan, the activities included apricot dehydration and jam-making in apples for varieties other than Suspolo, such as five star, golden delicious, etc. All 276 farmers were provided dehydration tools for apricot and jam-making tools and consumables. Different training programs were designed for the two value chains. All the procurement were made under the approved procurement SOPs by the procurement committee of the cooperative.

Results of the Intervention

As a result of the intervention, the cooperative followed a collective marketing strategy and the bulk quantities of improved standardized products were marketed. The pre and post-intervention scenarios were way different. The fruits which were previously thrown in the river were processed developing marketable products and generating revenues. As the business plan is being implemented this year and the sales are not complete yet but the cooperative’s record showed the following figures which are not final:

Success Stories

Samina, a 30-year-old member of KSPCSL, was flabbergasted by the intervention. She said, “I never knew we can produce this quality of jam which can bring me a revenue of Rs 36,000 from the apple we used to feed animals.” She intends to enlarge the scale of her jam-making business and now she will be able to share the burden of household expenses with her husband who is a watcher with Rs 17,000 per month salary. Samina has already started contacting other farmers in nearby villages to buy inferior-quality apples. She has also received training in apple flour marking and has experimented this year for the first time. Now searching markets for it, Samina has contacted different dry fruit merchants and other buyers in Skardu,