Earthquake hits apple orchards depriving workers of livelihood in Balochistan

The earthquake has destroyed many orchards in the affected areas of Ziarat, depriving local apple industry workers of their livelihoods at a time when the sought-after crop was nearly ripen for harvest. Besides loss of lives and property, the 6.4-magnitude tremor also destroyed many trees in Ziarat according to private TV news channel.
The valley of Ziarat district is famous for its ancient juniper forests and orchards filled with golden and green apples. The place is the largest apple producer in the country where Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah had a retreat, remains a heaven for summer tourists and pilgrims.
About 100,000 population in this picturesque corner of mountainous Balochistan province are involved in apple farming in some way, either as orchard owners or labourers. Honey farming is also a major source of jobs.
Pakistan produced an estimated 350,000 tonnes of apples in 2007, more than Canada, Britain or Israel, according to the latest available UN Food and Agriculture Organisation statistics.
Most were grown in Balochistan while many of the remainder come from the district of Swat in North West Frontier Province and the tribal areas of South and North Waziristan.
'I also had an acre farm in Wam village, which was destroyed by the earthquake. After this destruction, I have no means of earning now and so was the case with my workers,' said an orchard owner, Mohammad Shah. The priority for him was not to tend his crop but to rebuild his home, which could take several months.
Meanwhile, traders in the provincial capital of Quetta, some 130 kilometres (80 miles) to the south, voiced fears that the earthquake could hit apple supplies in Pakistan and abroad.
It is worth mentioning that mainly Qilla Abdullah and Ziarat (districts) of Balochistan supply apples within Pakistan and export to many countries. People here fear that the apple-loving larger provinces like Punjab and Sindh had already seen shorter supplies and the quake could worsen the situation further.