Persimmons ready for picking in Lower Dir

TIMERGARA: With the onset of autumn season, persimmons have become ripe in Lower Dir and traders who have purchased the orchards have started plucking the fruit to send it to the market for sale.

District Officer Agriculture Lower Dir Murad Ali told The News that orchards of two verities of persimmons are found in Lower Dir spreading over 225 acres of land, producing a total of 900 tons of persimmons in a season.

Persimmons of Lower Dir are famous for sweet taste all over the country, he said and added that the produce is supplied to Karachi, Lahore and other cities too.Inayat, a gardener, said that the production of persimmons per acre could be increased, if the government arranged training workshops for them.

In a circumstance when prices of fruit are rising and fruit are out of the reach of the poor segment of society, persimmons are the blessings of Allah for the low-income families as it is available in the market at the price of only Rs50 per kilogram.

Dr Asadullah told The News that a single persimmon weighing around 168 grams offers 31 grams of carbohydrates. He said the fruit has no fat in it and this factor makes it an ideal fruit for those who are worried about obesity. 

Dr Asad added that persimmons are the rich reserves of catechins and polyphenolic antioxidants. He said catechin is a powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-infective agent.