Pakistan

Mountain Fruits - Profiles

Hiji Bibi has been educated to 5th year primary level. However she had to leave as there was too much work at home and has brothers who were given priority. Her wages go towards the household expenses. Hiji has worked at MF for four years and is now a second grader. This job is reserved for the most experienced ladies as the final quality check.

	Mr Hazir Shah is the Mountain Fruits master trainer for Barkulti Yassin village District Ghizer. Apart from apricots, Mr Shah also grows walnuts, almonds, beans, wheat and Seed potato. In 2005, Mountain Fruits bought around 6 tonnes of unshelled walnuts from 40 families in Yassin village bringing in about £75 cash income to each family. This equates to c. 25% of the average rural cash income (£300 a year.)
	Salman Ali is married with 6 children who are all studying. His main source of cash income is potato, with apricots providing 15 to 20% of his income.He also grows wheat (for animal forage and flour), apples and almonds for personal use. Health and education are the most important and expensive outgoings. This is the reason he is unable to save money. Apart from farming he has no other income. He likes Mountain Fruits as it “holds the hand the poor. If Mountain Fruits were not buying directly from us then people from the bazaar would play with the prices and we would probably get half of what we get now." He wants Mountain Fruits to make improved drying technology more widely available to farmers.

Alya Noorin married at 17 and has 3 children. She lives in a rented house with her family. She was educated to 5th year primary level and her wages help to pay for the education of her children. Alya has worked at MF for two years and is now a second grader