The output of cherries has recently increased throughout the country. However, the fruit has failed to make a substantial impact on the worldwide market, particularly in China, where cherries have grown in popularity as a high-end fruit with high costs in recent years, according to China Economic Net (CEN).
As Pakistani farmers eye this lucrative market, the China Pakistan Agricultural and Industrial Cooperation Information Platform (CPAIC) suggests certain steps to speed up cherry exports to China. According to a CPAIC analysis, Pakistani cherry growers mostly obtain cherry prices and other information from traders, who reap the majority of the profits. In this case, an information management system can be put up to more effectively communicate vital market information to all stakeholders. Due to a shortage of institutional finance, investments may be limited, lowering efficiency of the marketing system.
According to a statistical survey conducted a few years ago, roughly 54% of families used informal loan sources, largely from local vendors or commission brokers. Farmers’ choice of marketing outlets is influenced by their loan source, it turns out. Farmers that received credit or prepayment from informal sources primarily sold cherries at the farm gate, which yielded a lower net return than those who sold at the market.
Credit from legitimate sources, according to researchers, should be more widely accessible to cherry growers so that they may make their own decisions about cherry marketing. Financial institutions may make it easier for cherry growers, contractors, exporters, and other market traders to obtain loans and reduce financial constraints.
More than 92 percent of cherry producers rate their cultivars as “excellent.” Only 8% of the growers, on the other hand, graded their cherries. To govern domestic sales, fulfil the norms of export destinations, and develop brands, grading and standardisation should be based on national and international regulations.
Pre-packaging might provide additional protection for the products throughout this process. However, just 12% of cherry growers used wooden crates and cartons to pack their fruit.
Apart from packaging, CPAIC believes that proper facilities for the cherry business, such as sufficient cold storage and convenient transportation, are also required.
