Cherries rank among the highest-value horticultural commodities in international trade, and China’s
market — valued at approximately US$3 billion with annual demand of around 350,000 tonnes —
represents the single most lucrative destination for cherry exporters worldwide. Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan
region produces approximately 5,000 tonnes of premium-quality cherries per season under ideal coolclimate conditions, yielding sweet, vibrantly coloured fruit harvested during a short seasonal window.
Despite this natural advantage, Pakistan had historically been unable to access the Chinese cherry market:
the proximity advantage and growing Chinese demand remained unrealised due to the absence of a
phytosanitary protocol and orchard registration framework. This changed with the signing of the
Pakistan–China Phytosanitary Agreement in November 2022, which granted Pakistan formal market
access for fresh cherry exports.
PHDEC, in coordination with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), the Department of
Plant Protection (DPP), and the National Logistic Cell (NLC), translated the protocol into operational reality
within 18 months. PHDEC’s contribution centred on structured cherry product-development activities,
including training Gilgit-Baltistan farmers in agricultural practices to improve production, fruit size, and
quality, with particular focus on the black and French cherry varieties favoured by Chinese consumers.
TDAP and DPP supported eligible orchard owners in registering with the General Administration of
Chinese Customs (GACC), resulting in the successful registration of over 200 cherry orchards and a cold
storage and packing facility at Rahim Abad. NLC provided the required reefer containers, with logistics
costs financed through the Export Development Fund (EDF).
On 5 June 2024, the first consignment of six tonnes of fresh Pakistani cherries was dispatched to China by
reefer container, marking a landmark achievement for Pakistan’s horticulture export sector. Exports were
subsequently scaled up to a target of 260 tonnes by the end of June 2024. PHDEC followed with a
dedicated seminar in Gilgit on 3 October 2024, titled “Export of GB Cherries to China: Lessons Learned,
Future Strategies,” bringing together the Agriculture Department, TDAP, exporters, and progressive
growers. The seminar recorded strong participation from women farmers, processors, and traders, and
established an aspirational target of 100,000 tonnes of GB cherry exports by 2030. PHDEC has since
announced a complementary project on the development of high-demand cherry varieties in GilgitBaltistan to support this scale-up.
The China market opening stands as one of PHDEC’s signature institutional successes — converting a
long-standing trade aspiration into operational, recurring exports.
Objectives
• Operationalize the November 2022 Pakistan–China Phytosanitary Agreement on fresh cherries,
converting the bilateral protocol into recurring export shipments.
• Train Gilgit-Baltistan cherry farmers in production technology and good agricultural practices to
improve the yield, fruit size, and quality of the black and French cherry varieties favoured by
Chinese consumers.
• Coordinate with TDAP, DPP, and NLC to ensure orchard GACC registration, phytosanitary
compliance, and reefer container logistics for export consignments.
• Position Pakistan’s cherry sector to secure a meaningful share of the US$3 billion, 350,000-tonne
annual Chinese cherry market by leveraging the country’s geographic proximity advantage.
• Establish a pipeline for high-demand variety development to support the long-term scale-up of
GB cherry exports toward the 100,000-tonne target by 2030.
• Demonstrate, through this market access achievement, the value of coordinated public-sector
execution — PHDEC, TDAP, DPP, NLC, and EDF — in horticulture export development.
Outcomes
• First-ever consignment of six tonnes of fresh Pakistani cherries dispatched to China on 5 June
2024 — a historic milestone for Pakistan’s horticulture exports.
• Over 100 GB cherry orchards plus a cold storage and packing house at Rahim Abad successfully
registered with the General Administration of Chinese Customs (GACC).
• Scale-up to a 260-tonne export target within the first month, validating the operational viability
of the supply chain.
• A trained Gilgit-Baltistan cherry farmer base equipped with PHDEC-disseminated technical
guidance on producing the black and French varieties demanded by Chinese consumers.
• Established lessons-learned framework via the October 2024 Gilgit seminar, with an aspirational
100,000-tonne by 2030 target and a follow-up high-demand variety development project
announced.
