Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: China prepares to help Pakistan to boost Guava Industry and to run it on commercial basis, says a report.
“We earn around 2 to 5 Lac Rs per acre. Even better, now we have a new type called China Gola. Its high quality and good taste make us more money. Besides, export can double our incomes,” noted Saleem Ahmad Malik, a Guava farmer from Sharaqpur in district Sheikhupura. Pakistan has ideal conditions for guava cultivation. According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Pakistan is amongst the top ten guava producing nations which enjoy a combination of warm, humid yet dry weather and a well-drained sandy loam.
As per report, Pakistan grows high-quality guavas, which are exported to many countries, including UK, America, Afghanistan, Maldives, Oman, Qatar, UAE and China. Unique soil quality, temperature, and a long history of growing guava make Pakistani guava special in taste and aroma. However, Pakistan’s guava production has been facing the problem of low yield and plant diseases and insect pests over the years.
As for plant diseases and insect pests, in Pakistan, the Department of Plant Protection records 20-50% of economic losses from diseases and pests. According to a recent media’s report the output of guava was severely affected by insects due to which growers were suffering losses amounting to 60%-70% in and around Larkana district.
What is worse, growers are troubled by some marketing issues, including price fluctuations and lack of proper storage facilities. Due to lack of fresh-keeping measures, guava growers could not get fair market prices. This is also unfavorable to the long-term development of the guava industry.
Chen Haojun, Director of the Fruit Research Center at Guangxi Subtropical Crops Research Institute, pointed out that “Based on data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the average yield of guava in Pakistan was 9.03 tons per hectare in 2018.
However, the yield of guava cultivated in our germplasm resource nursery can reach about 45-60 tons per hectare. Therefore, I think there is still a lot of room for improvement in the average output of guava in Pakistan.”
Just as the China Gola has brought benefits to Pakistani farmers, high-quality guava varieties and planting techniques will bring benefits to the development of Pakistan’s guava industry.
