import cherries
BEIJING
A 15-member Chinese delegation will travel to the picturesque Gilgit-Baltistan region to explore options for buying and importing cherries from Pakistan, Commercial Counselor, Pakistan Embassy, Beijing, Ghulam Qadir said on Sunday. The Chinese buyers hailing from Xinjiang, Zhejiang and Shandong provinces as well as the Weifang area will arrive in the region – home to cherry orchards in Pakistan, on May 15 on a four-day visit, he told APP. They will meet local farmers, and relevant officials and visit cherry orchards and inspect quality of the exotic fruit, he added.
Pakistan and China signed a cooperation protocol during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Beijing in November last year.
Under the protocol, China will not only import cherries from Pakistan but also help the local grower to enhance production.
Currently, China imports the bulk of its cherries from South American countries to meet growing demand. However, the transportation cost and time is a major predicament.
