Ongoing violence in Swat Valley has made it difficult for the farmers to shift the apple crop to market. According to Pakistan Horticulture Development & Export Board (PHDEB) newsletter Hortimag farmers are facing logistic problems in shifting the crop as most of the bridges in the area have either been totally or partially damaged.
In areas where there is relative calm farmers are picking the crop in a hurry because of high market prices. The overall condition of the crop, however, is not satisfactory because of poor management of orchards and absence of progressive growers who could set example in the area.
Also diseases like the powdery mildew have hit some varieties, specially summer red, due to humid conditions in the area. Codling moth, the most disastrous pest, has been a serious problem for the fruit in the valley.
Proper orchards management could help control the pest, but it has not been the case with most of the farms. The farmers have been advised to keep their orchards clean from infested fruit and wrap corrugated papers or gunny bags around the trunk to find out larvae and burn or kill it in time, says Hortimag. Other control methods include pheromone traps and chemical sprays. Some other diseases or insects, like scab and mites, have also been reported from some farms, but their presence and damage to the crop remains limited.
Summer red variety has started reaching the market but slowly. So far very limited quantity of fruit has gone out of the area because of violent and unpredictable situation.
Similarly heavy rainfall during July has greatly affected peach supply chain, making picking, packaging and transportation difficult for farmers. Heavy rains during harvesting also affected shelf life and rendered the fruit vulnerable to transportation damage.
Some orchards have also reported Root rot symptoms. Hortimage says that if farmers do not spare time for proper management, the disease could spread quickly through the entire orchard, especially in the ones with poor drainage system. All precautionary or preventive measures could go waste if the orchard did not have proper drainage system or effective steps were not taken to improve the existing one.
Meanwhile the harvesting of early and mid-varieties of mango has almost been over in both Multan and Rahim Yar Khan areas and that of late varieties like white chaunsa, black chaunsa and retol-12 was underway. It was expected to be completed by the last week of September. Hortimag estimates that the overall reduction in yield is expected to be around 15 to 20 per cent. Speculative pressure has already been exerted on price, which has been substantial in local market and hindered exports.