Mr. Ghulam Qadir, commercial counselor at the Pakistani Embassy in Beijing, said the General Administration of Customs added 60 cherry orchards in Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as 15 refrigerating and packaging factories, to its list of registered enterprises in orchards exported to China.

Ghulam Qadir said that cherry farming is an important local industry, and the recognition by the Chinese customs not only opens up new trade routes, but also shows the quality of Pakistani cherries to more international markets.

Also on the list is a cherry orchard owned by Hashwan, a Pakistani import and export company, which is the largest orchard to receive Chinese customs access. Hashwan CEO Mr. Arman Shah said more than 4,000 tons of cherries are produced in Gilgite-Baltistan each season, and locally grown cherries have been exported to many countries, with the main market being the Middle East. The export price of cherries this year is between 700-1000 rupees/kg, equivalent to about 17.5-25.0 yuan/kg.