Guava farm owners switching to other businesses.

KOHAT -- The owners of guava orchards, a delicacy of Kohat, are switching to other businesses to help their economic conditions as growing the fruit is no more lucrative because of harsh weather conditions.

Jarwanda, and areas along the Rawalpindi Road, Bypass Road and Hangu Road remained famous for producing large quantities of the fruit for centuries, but the owners have now turned a major portion of the lands into building shops. Some rich people have turned their orchards into farm houses.

Naveed, a local, said he had inherited the business from his father, and his family was totally dependent on guava produce. But, they had to sell some guava orchards and rented out the others to meet financial needs , he added. He pointed out that a big guava orchard previously available for Rs20,000 rent for three years was now rented out for Rs100,000 for the same period, and the reason was that a very few orchards had been left across the district.

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