Chitral Valleys Face Declining Fruit Yields

Why this is here: Women in the Arkari Valley, comprising approximately 954 households, rely on farming and kitchen gardening for their livelihoods, but have experienced roughly a 50 percent reduction in income from fruit production in recent years.

Shahi Gul, a farmer in Pakistan’s Kalash Valley, reports dwindling fruit production due to rising temperatures and erratic rainfall. For generations, families in Chitral’s Kalash and Arkari valleys have sustained themselves through orchards of apricots, pears, and mulberries.

Now, unpredictable weather patterns damage blossoms and accelerate ripening, while infestations ruin harvests before they can be dried or sold. Farmers like Gul have seen incomes fall from roughly 500,000 rupees to around 100,000 rupees per season.

In 2023, apricot production was almost nonexistent due to the conditions. Data from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agriculture Department show Chitral produced 44 metric tons of apricots in 2025, while Arkari produced 52.25 metric tons.

Assistant Director Agriculture Extension Shehzad Ahmad notes that rainfall now arrives earlier and lasts longer, damaging crops, and that no scientific study has yet examined the full extent of the impact. While some farmers are trying traps and modern practices, the valleys face losing traditions tied to the harvest. The work of understanding and adapting to these changes continues.