Analyzing the Role of Road Infrastructure for the Development of Fresh Fruit Industry in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
- May 14, 2020
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: IJRISS, Social Science
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue IV, April 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186
Yousuf Ali1, Dr. Arif Alam2, Sadaf Riaz3, Zulfiqar Ali4, Iftikhar Ali5
1Graduate Student, Department of Development Studies COMSATS University, Islamabad Pakistan (Abbottabad Campus)
2Assistant Professor, Department of Development Studies, COMSATS University, Islamabad Pakistan (Abbottabad Campus)
3MS Scholar, Department of Development Studies COMSATS University, Islamabad Pakistan (Abbottabad Campus)
4MS Scholar, College of Economics and Management, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China
5Development Policy Scholar, KDI School of Public Policy and Management, South Korea
Abstract: – Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) is one of the major contributors to the fresh fruit industry in Pakistan however, the production of fresh fruits is low as compare to other parts of the country. This low production is attributed to several factors like remoteness, poor infrastructure (road), inadequate local markets and traditional practices by farmers, etc. This study was aimed to develop linkages between road infrastructure and fresh fruit industry of GB. The study employed a mixed-method based on primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected from the field through face to face interviews using a well-structured questionnaire and secondary data was collected from different sources i.e. books, articles and reports. The data was collected from 100 respondents comprised of farmers, shopkeepers and retailers. Finally, the collected data was analyzed on excel sheet and presented in the form of graphs and tables. The results have shown significant linkages between road infrastructure and the fresh fruit industry in GB. Furthermore, the findings revealed that the major hurdles for fresh fruits production in GB are lack of transportation, low price, climate change, lack of market information, lack of government services, lack of cultivatable land, a traditional method of production, pest and disease, lack of industries and lack of technical expertise. The opinion of respondents shows that improvement and development of road infrastructure will open new opportunities for local people to boost their fresh fruits production and uplift their livelihoods.
Keywords: Gilgit-Baltistan, Fresh fruit, Agriculture, Infrastructure
I. INTRODUCTION
Fresh fruits have a major contribution to the agriculture sector of Pakistan. Across the year different regions of Pakistan produce different varieties of fresh fruits in different seasons. According to Sharif et.al (2005) Pakistan is blessed with an ideal agro-ecological environmental setting that is conducive to the production of nearly thirty types of fruits like citrus, mango, apple, cheery and dates are most common. The market value of these fruits produced during recent year is estimated at 73 billion Pakistani rupees, which is roughly 6.73 percent of agriculture value-added in the year. According to Pakistan’s horticulture development &export board (2007), Pakistan is an agricultural country and the agricultural sector is still considered the main contributor in Pakistan’s economy with almost 21.6% share of GDP. This sector is also playing an important role in employment generation particularly in rural communities. Horticultural is also considered a sub sector of the agricultural sector in Pakistan which is contributing about 12% to the national agricultural GDP.
