Cherry is a soft and delicate fruit, making the transport of it more complicated than other fruits. The farmers and residents of Ghizer wish the roads were better developed so that the fruit could be transported while it is fresh.

“Unfortunately, our roads are very bad so we are unable to transport cherries to the market, which often results in our loss,” a local resident of Ghizer told Aaj News.

The valley produces dozens of varieties of cherries and the farmers are earning in millions by selling it. However, their revenue would increase manifold if the broken roads were repaired. Better roads would help transport high quality produce across the country.

The Ghizer District is one of the 14 districts of Gilgit-Baltistan. The region is situated in the north of Gilgit, near the border of Tajikistan and China.

People in the valley are also producing jams and syrups from fresh cherries. Stronger infrastructure would also help transport such by-products.

If the provincial government of Gilgit-Baltistan provides facilities to the gardeners of Ghizer to deliver the fruits in the area to the market, the people here can earn in millions just by selling the fruits.