KOHAT: Birds, especially wild parrots, have thronged loquat gardens these days in Kohat.

The season of loquat fruit lasts for roughly one and a half months.

An old gardener Khan Baba says that a large number of wild parrots have abodes in the trees on the Hangu road and these birds spend most of the time in loquat gardens for food. Nightingales and singing sparrows also feed on loquats in this season.

There is a word everywhere that the fruit which has the sign of bite of a bird on it is the sweetest.

The buyers search for them at the shops and those who visit the gardens. Baba says this is true.

Birds, especially wild parrots, can be seen at loquat gardens

Naveed, a gardener, said that the harvest of fruit changed from region to region since spring and presently the fruit could be found in Sherkot on Hangu Road and Barh area near Tanda Lake.

Fruit seller Gul Agha says that people wait for the Barh area fruit which is bigger in size and tastier than the fruit of other areas.

A tree or two of loquat are very common in the courtyard of every house here as its six feet tree covers less area compared with the produce, says Mr Naveed.

Mehfooz Elahi, an agriculturist, said that the nutrients contained in loquat fruit and leaves included pectin, iron, potassium, vitamin A and C and fiber.

Its leaves are a magical cure for diabetes and their tea could bring down sugar levels, he said.

Meanwhile, officials of the agricultural department declared the produce at exhibition plots from new variety of wheat seeds as satisfactory.

In this regard, Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department provincial chief Ilhamuddin accompanied by Kohat director Zahirullah inspected various plots and termed the per acre production satisfactory.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2017