CHITRAL: The irregular weather patterns triggered by climate change over the last few decades have not only destroyed physical infrastructure, including roads, bridges, water supply schemes and irrigation channels, but also the agriculture sector, thereby hitting the productivity of both crops and fruits.

This was highlighted by speakers during an awareness session organised by Model Farm Service Centre (MFSC), an organisation of farmers, here on Saturday.

They said that Chitral’s unique geography has long supported a booming horticulture sector where high-value fruits like peaches, pears, cherries, apricots, and apples served as the primary cash crops for local communities.

They regretted that the agricultural backbone of Chitral was collapsing under the weight of climate change as the rising summer temperatures and unseasonal rains were destroying fruit harvests, pushing thousands of farming families toward economic ruin.

Farmers seek fruit varieties tolerant to higher temperatures, moisture

MFSC president Amirullah and other office-bearers, including Hussain Shah, Farid Ahmed, and Sharif Hussain, said farmers in Chitral faced uncertainty about the weather pattern, which necessitated resilience.

They said that different valleys of Chitral were known for fruits, including peaches, pears, cherries, apricots, and apples, where farmers used to earn lucrative dividends from the fruits of their orchards, which formed a major source of their sustenance.

They said that farmers reported up to a 60 per cent drop in revenue compared to five years ago, while the disrupted harvests leave local markets empty and break supply chains to major down-country hubs like Peshawar and Islamabad.

They added that the farmers defaulted on agricultural loans from banks and financial institutions and were facing a vicious cycle of poverty and food insecurity.

Regarding the change in weather patterns, they said that the early summer heatwaves caused premature blooming, which is immediately followed by sudden, heavy unseasonal rains during the peak ripening phase from May to July, thereby filling the fruits of cherry, peach and apricot with excessive moisture.

They noted that apple trees require a specific number of chilling hours in the winter to produce quality fruit, while warm winters and scorching summers are causing widespread low-yield harvests and infesting crops with new, heat-tolerant pests.

They said that some of the best apple-producing villages of Chitral, including Booni, Brep and Arkari, are facing the risks of glacial lake outburst floods.

The farmers’ body recommended introducing fruit varieties that tolerate higher temperatures and moisture, having accessible cold storage facilities to preserve salvaged harvests and tailoring crop insurance programmes to protect small-holders from total bankruptcy.

Deputy Director of Agriculture Extension Department, Lower Chitral, Shahzad Ayub warned that the traditional farming methods were no longer viable and that without immediate intervention, Chitral risked a permanent economic depression and mass climate migration.

He said that the agriculture department was devising ways to make the farmers resilient by introducing climate-smart varieties to minimise the effects to the lowest possible level.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2026