Chitral Times Report
GILGIT: Hashoo Foundation (HF) and Agriculture Department, Government of Gilgit-Baltistan, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)on June 14, 2019. The MoU signing ceremony was represented by Mr. Mehmood Asghar, Director Agriculture Department and Mr. Jalal-du-Din, Director Programs of Hashoo Foundation (HF) witnessed by other senior officials from both sides.
This partnership aims at socio-economic empowerment of local beneficiaries, mostly women, through better utilization and marketing of natural resources i.e. mulberry, apricots, grapes, peaches and cherries, for which the soil and climate of the region is very suitable.
Under this MoU, Agriculture Department, Government of Gilgit-Baltistan, will provide a hybrid solar dryer for drying of mulberries, cherries, apricots and other fruits. The dryer with its unique features will be tried on pilot basis in village Gurunjur—a neglected village flanking the right side of the River Gilgit, 64 kilometers to the south-west of Gilgit city. The village is famous for juicy and delicious fruits, but these valuable natural resources go waste in absence of skills and technology available to the locals. On successful results of this piloting, Agriculture Department and Hashoo Foundation will go into scale by providing such dryers in other potential villages of Gilgit Baltistan.
Hashoo Foundation (HF) had identified village Gurujurtwo years earlier for implementation of a range of Sustainable Methods and Resilient Technologies (SMaRT) to expedite integrated development.
The two organizations will join hands in future in introducing environment resilience techniques, establishment of seed banks and introducing innovative technologies for kitchen gardening. Moreover, measures have also been put in pace to produce High Valued Off-seasoned Vegetables (HV/OSV)by introducing innovative approaches in development of value chains focusing horticulture potential of Gilgit Baltistan.
Recently HF has successfully branded and marketed ‘kilao’as a women-led enterprise. It is a reputed ‘energy bar’traditionally prepared from grape juice and walnut seasoned with different spices.
To implement and promote Sustainable Methods and Resilience Technology (SMaRT) in village Gurunjur and replicate it to other least developed villages of the region, Hashoo Foundation has partnered with a diverse development players and organizations including the government of Gilgit-Baltistan and Hashoo Group. The MoU recently signed with Government of Gilgit-Baltistan will significantly contribute to improved life standards of the resource-poor communities through better utilization and marketing of their natural resources.
