Swat’s peaches: Another casualty of climate change
SWAT (APP): Swat, once renowned for its bountiful peach harvests, is witnessing a severe downturn in production this season due to climate change, farmers say.
The region’s peach farmers face significant economic losses this year, as climate change induced weather patterns, including fluctuating rainfall, drought, and high temperatures, adversely impacted the peach crop in Swat.
Samad Khan, a prominent peach grower from Barikot Tehsil Swat, has reported a substantial drop in peach yields besides its small size this season due to climate change weather patterns, impacting negatively the growers’ income especially at Bahrain, Malam Jabba, Barikot and Kalam.
Traditionally, Swat’s 20,000 acres of peach orchards produce thousands of tons of peaches annually, with a variety of flavors prized for their taste and affordability. However, this year’s production has been severely impacted by the extreme weather events.
Samad Khan noted that heavy rainfall and hailstorms have badly damaged the fruit, reducing its size and quality, adding the catastrophic floods of 2022 had further devastated the peach crop, leaving farmers struggling to recover financially. Despite decades of cultivation, many farmers are now facing losses due to soaring production costs and insufficient KP government support.
Criticism has been directed at the PTI-led government for failing to offer relief or support to the flood-affected farmers. Peach producers are incurring additional costs to transport their goods to major markets in Peshawar, Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi for better wages.
Muhammad Syed, a former agriculture research officer, explained that under normal conditions, peach trees begin fruiting within 2-4 years. The harvest season typically spans from June to August, but this year’s harvest has been significantly affected by torrential rains and hail storms.
Swat produces about 80% of Pakistan’s peaches, he said, adding the country’s economic woes could be minimised by promoting peach farming in Swat, Dir, Shangla and Malakand.
The shortage of peach production in Swat has led to an increase in its prices in Peshawar, with one kilogram now costing Rs350 compared to Rs2800 last year, according to Riaz Khan, a former school teacher and consumer of Swat peaches.
Dr. Malik Riaz, Principal Medical Officer at Government Hospital Pabbi Nowshera, emphasized the health benefits of peaches, especially for individuals with diabetes. He recommended including peaches in the diet for their nutritional value.
Agriculture Department sources revealed that Swat previously produced around 400,000 kilograms of peaches annually, but this year’s yield is significantly below expectations. The region’s 15,000 acres of peach orchards, which once thrived, now struggle to meet people demand.
Environmental expert and former Forests Consevator Gulzar Rehman highlighted the urgent need for action to combat climate change to preserve Swat’s peach cultivation.
He pointed out that human activities like deforestation and fossil fuel consumption have exacerbated climate change, leading to higher average temperatures that disrupt peach growth cycles.
He said the biology of peach trees makes them particularly vulnerable to climate fluctuations and require specific chilling hours during dormancy to ensure proper bud development.
He said warmer winters reduce these chilling hours, leading to poor bud break and uneven fruit ripening. Extreme heat during the growing season can cause sunburn and hinder photosynthesis, further impacting yield and quality.
Gulzar said Pakistan has ranked among the top ten countries affected by climate change, with 139 natural disasters occurring in the past two decades.
The experts are calling for immediate measures to address the agricultural impact of climate change especially in Swat, providing soft loans to affected farmers and adopting climate-resilient farming practices.
To safeguard the future of peach cultivation in Swat, experts recommended investing in climate-resilient seeds, reducing pesticide use, and adopting mechanized farming techniques.
Immediate action is crucial to mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure the viability of Swat’s prized peaches for benefits of Pakistan.
