Farmerstories - Almonds

First and last name : Zubeda Kahnum

Residence:  Danyore, Gilgit, Pakistan

Familiy status: Married, 2 children

Age: 43 years old

Why do you have a passion for farming?

For us agriculture is very important and gives us enough food and a livelihood.

What are the advantages of working for Pakka partner "Mountain Fruits Company"?

Through the cooperation with MFC we receive more money for our organic almond harvests and also our cooperative can develop further and make new investments through the Fairtrade payments.

Vor- und Nachname: Karim Khushdil

Residence: Nasirabad, Hunza Valley

Familiy status: Married, 3 children

Age: 39 years old

Why do you have a passion for farming?

Agriculture gives us some freedom and the opportunity to do what we like. It is nice to observe how the "sown" flourishes and bears fruit.

What are the advantages of working for Pakka partner "Mountain Fruits Company"?

MFC accompanies us and helps us to distribute our harvests internationally. It takes the harvests from us and secures our income. This gives us security and the possibility to stay in our valley.

First and last name: Abdus Salam

Residence:  Pakora, Ghizer, Pakistan

Family status: married / 5 family members

Age:    31 years old

How do you describe your current life situation in general?

• Besides the dried fruits and nuts that we produce for MFC, we also produce many other dried fruits. Unfortunately, these dried fruits have a very low price on the local market.
• The production of dried apricots is very large, but the demand of MFC is relatively low every year.

Why you are a farmer and do you like your job? 

I am a teacher and a farmer by profession. I like both of my professions. I love spending my time teaching and working in my fields. Farming is a healthy activity and also an additional source of income.

What are the advantages for Pakka partner "MFC" to work?

• We get good prices for the products sold to MFC.
• We do not have to go to the market to negotiate our goods.
• MFC supports us with training and provides us with tools for the production and processing of our goods.
• Every year we receive a premium from MFC for development projects.Every year we receive a premium from MFC for development projects.

How long have you been working / producing for Pakka Partner "MFC"?

I have been working with MFC since 2010.

What has improved in your life in general since you started working for Pakka Partner "MFC"?

We are well organized by MFC and have collective bargaining with them at the beginning of each production season. We are in constant contact with MFC and are updated by MFC every time.

What has improved for you/your family during the last year?

• The demand for some products was relatively high, which was good for us farmers. and we hope for more demand from foreign buyers.

What improvements do you hope/wish for in the coming year?

• Every farmer wants there to be sufficient demand for his products so that he can sell them at a good price.

First and last name : Jamal Uddin

Residence:  Golodass, Ghizer

Family status:  married / 14 family members

Age: 35 years old.

How do you describe your current life situation in general?

• Our region has a relative advantage in fruits and vegetables, but due to inadequate market and processing facilities, a large portion of the annual production is lost.
• Some parts of our farms are not served by roads, so transporting farm products requires a great deal of effort.

Why you are a farmer and do you like your job? 

Yes, I like my job. I feel good because I am part of a sector that feeds people. It is also the profession that we inherited from our parents.

What are the advantages for Pakka partner "MFC" to work?

• We don't have to transport our goods to the markets to sell them. MFC has provided us with a good market on our doorstep.
• MFC provides proper guidance and training wherever needed.
  The most important thing is that our products are organic and fair trade certified. This is the merit of MFC. This gives us a better price for our grown products.

How long have you been working / producing for Pakka Partner "MFC"?

We have been working with MFC since 2010

What has improved in your life in general since you started working for Pakka Partner "MFC"?

• The farmer groups can make their decisions independently.
• Farmers do not need middlemen to sell their products.

What has improved for you/your family during the last year?

• The quality of production was improved with the support of MFC in the form of biological fertilizers.
• The relationship with MFC was also strengthened by frequent visits from their representatives.

What improvements do you hope/wish for in the coming year?

• We hope that the prices for our grown products will continue to improve, especially because other goods have become very expensive.
• We hope that with the support of MFC we will be trained and equipped with modern tools and techniques.

First and last name: Kushna Baig

Residence: Hasis, Ghizer, Pakistan

Family status:  married / 8 family members

Age:  65 years old

How do you describe your current life situation in general?

• MFC buys our product at a good price. But unfortunately we can't sell all the grown products to MFC because the demand is limited.
• Unfortunately, we do not have modern harvesting equipment to harvest the fruit, which means additional physical labor for us.

Why you are a farmer and do you like your job? 

Yes, I like my work. Besides, it is the only source of income for me and my family.

What are the advantages for Pakka partner "MFC" to work?

• MFC offers us a reasonable price for our products and this right on our doorstep.
• MFC has created a sustainable market for our product
• MFC has certified us as fair trade and organic producers, which has increased the value of our products.

How long have you been working / producing for Pakka Partner "MFC"?

I have been working with MFC for 11 years.

What has improved in your life in general since you started working for Pakka Partner "MFC"?

• MFC has developed a collective management system in our groups that allows farmers to collectively manage their products.
• MFC's cash payment for our products is one of the most important benefits farmers receive.
• Every year we receive a Fairtrade premium for the development of our production.
• MFC provides inputs for production, harvesting and processing.

What has improved for you/your family during the last year?

Last year, the prices of agricultural products on the local market were too high and were approximately at the level of the MFC price and sometimes even higher. For this reason, some farmers sold their products on the local market.

What improvements do you hope/wish for in the coming year?

• Farmers have a long and strong relationship with MFC. We want to maintain this relationship!
• We hope to receive refresher training and tools from MFC to increase our productivity and the quality of our production.

First and last name: Shadid Hussain

Residence: Hasis, Ghizer, Pakistan

Family status:  married / 10 family members

Age:  26 years old

How do you describe your current life situation in general?

• MFC buys our product at a good price, but the other products cannot be sold at a good price in the local market.
• We produce a large amount of dried fruit, but due to limited demand, we could not sell the entire production to MFC.
• The weather conditions are difficult for us.

Why you are a farmer and do you like your job? 

Yes, I love my job. It's a good feeling to work in my field and achieve a good result at the end of the day.

What are the advantages for Pakka partner "MFC" to work?

• MFC has certified us as fair trade and organic producers, which has increased the value of our products.
• MFC has created a sustainable market for our products and offers a reasonable price for our products at our doorstep.
• The training provided by MFC has improved the quality of our production, making our products marketable.

How long have you been working / producing for Pakka Partner "MFC"?

My parents have been working with MFC since 2010 and I have been working with them for 3 years.

What has improved in your life in general since you started working for Pakka Partner "MFC"?

• The negotiation system was changed after the cooperation with MFC, our producer groups negotiate collectively with MFC for our goods.

What has improved for you/your family during the last year?

Last year, the prices of agricultural products in the local market were too high and were around the level of the MFC price and above. For this reason, some farmers sold their products on the local market.

What improvements do you hope/wish for in the coming year?

• Farmers have a long and strong relationship with MFC. We want to maintain and further strengthen this.
• We hope to receive refresher training and tools from MFC to increase our productivity and the quality of our production.

First and last name: Sher Wali

Residence: Golodass, Ghizer

Family status:  married / 6 family members 

Age:  45 years old

How do you describe your current life situation in general?

• We have been a contract producer of MFC for a long time, the prices of other daily necessities are increasing every day, but the prices of our goods are not increasing at this pace.
• The weather conditions are a challenge for us.

Why you are a farmer and do you like your job? 

Yes, I love my job. Because I feel closer to nature when I work in my fields. Besides, it is a source of income for me and my family.

What are the advantages for Pakka partner "MFC" to work?

• It is a sustainable business with MFC.
• The farmers receive the price for their products directly in the form of a cash payment and this right on the spot. There is consequently no more intermediate trade.
• MFC offers us refresher training on production, processing and quality control.
• Every year, when we export our products, we receive a premium for farmers' development projects.
• MFC has certified us as Fairtrade and organic producers, which has increased the value of our products.

How long have you been working / producing for Pakka Partner "MFC"?

We have been working with MFC since 2010.

What has improved in your life in general since you started working for Pakka Partner "MFC"?

• The negotiation system has changed after the cooperation with MFC, our producer groups negotiate collectively with MFC for our goods.
• They pay fair price for each farmer.

What has improved for you/your family during the last year?

Sometimes the prices of the products also fluctuate in the local market, making it difficult for farmers to sell their products to MFC.

What improvements do you hope/wish for in the coming year?

• We wish a price increase for our products in the coming season.
• We would appreciate if MFC could provide harvesting equipment for our fruits.