Being a city dweller all my life and living life in the fast lane the beauty of the simple village has always been very attractive for me. Pakistan is one of the most blessed countries in the world. Whether it was my encounter with the communities living in the coastal areas and creeks or upcountry in the foothills of the Himalayas for me Pakistanis have always been and will remain a nation of builders and they continue to work hard in their everyday lives whether they be the rugged mountainous areas of Balochistan, fertile plains of Punjab or the difficult terrain of Hindukush and Himalayas. It was my first visit to the beautiful orchards of the land near Sargodha – the basket of citrus fruits, which is famous across the world for their deliciousness and nutrition.
It was a fun package to visit the orchards near Chak 49 southern Sargodha. We visited orange orchards on either sides of a small canal that is used for irrigating the lands nearby where sugar cane and wheat is grown. If you go by motorway you move on to Sargodha Road from Sial Mor. It was an escape from the maddening traffic of Lahore and time to explore the countryside that many of us fail to take out of our daily life schedules. For miles and miles on both sides of the road one can see the beautiful orange trees laden with fruit. Scenes of the oranges being packed and packaged could be seen at many places. I also observed a fascinating sight of a bee yard maintaining honey bee colonies for pollen. This is the season when orange picking is at its peak and the main citrus fruit at this time of the year is kinnow, which is famous around the world for its unique taste. Each 100ml of kinnow has 20 to 25 mg of vitamin C and the sugar content is 12 to 13 percent. No doubt it is called the king of all citrus fruits.
Other citrus fruits are also grown in the area like fruiter, malta, red blood, mussami, mitha (sweet lemon), sanghtara and grape fruit. Early in November fruiter are ready for harvest. In December come mussami and malta. Kinnow season is for January and February. Since the scribe went to the area on the second last day of January it was peak period of the season. There are nearly 50 kinnow grading and vexing factories in the district. Spare land is used for honey bee farms. So you can get the best natural honey from this area as well.
The production and export of kinnow is increasing every year and thus it has become very important in the fruit sector. But it is still mostly done in the old days’ style. Not all growers are aware about modern orchard management practices and here the apathy of agriculture department is to be blamed who have not been able to create awareness about the importance of balanced crop nutrition and modern pruning practices.
Kinnow plant takes three to four years to grow when it starts bearing fruit. It takes seven to eight years for kinnow plant to fully grow. The fruit producing life of the kinnow tree is from 35 to 40 years. There is khati plant for all kinds of citrus and then grafting is done for the different varieties of citrus. After the fruit picking the kinnow is graded according to specific size. After cleaning and vexing the kinnow remains good for 15 to 18 days in normal temperature. Its shipping can be easily done normally but if put in cold storage the kinnow retains its good taste for just two months. The big size kinnows are exported and made available in the local markets while the smaller ones are bought by the juice factories. It is exported to European countries in December when the fruit is not in full bloom and is still not very sweet.
In Lahore it has always been a tradition that kinnows are sold per dozen. This year it was interesting that they were being sold per kilogram. On a query from one owner of orange orchard it came to my knowledge that in southern Punjab especially Sadiqabad and Rahim Yar Khan kinnows have always been sold per kg. “Factories last year were buying kinnows Rs 500 per 40 kg. This year the rate has gone up and they are buying Rs 600 per 40 kg. The kinnow growing area is the land between River Jehlum and River Chenab that is Sargodha division and some areas of Mandi Bahauddin. The land is fertile and ideal for citrus fruits,” he explained.
The one day visit ended with a wonderful but simple food around a bonfire. The traditional saag and corn chapatti were delicious while the chicken tasted different and tastier than the chicken we eat in Lahore. The food had been cooked on the traditional handmade earthen stove. It was slow cooking on the wood and perhaps that was why the taste was different. Eating under the clear moon lit sky where there was no pollution was indeed a treat and a new experience this scribe would love to have it again.