Palas Tehsil
is counted as one of Pakistan’s least developed regions
and poverty is common throughout the valley. Although the
Karakuram Highway has created some new opportunities like
tourism, transport and commerce, the economy of the project
area is inert due to:
· Off-farm employment within the region is not sufficient
or does not exist within Kohistan. Cities in Punjab, Sindh
and NWFP are the areas where most of people are working;
· Subsistence agriculture is practiced with very little
to no marketable surplus only in few villages of the project
area;
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· Most households rely solely on livestock for their
livelihood which is not particularly profitable or secure;
· The area also suffers from the net outflow of resources;
compared with the national context, it exports its major resources
in the form of timber. The timber is unprocessed and the large
bulk of it is damaged during harvesting and transportation
operations.
Government jobs are limited and the majority of people go
to the down districts for earning cash during winter season.
Agriculture production is very limited due to single cropping
system and the community is entirely depending on natural
resources for their livelihoods. There is a limited number
of skilled labours from within the valley.
Each household has land holdings from which they get on average
1500-2000kg of crop production and 50-100 kg of beans, out
of which 75% is sold for cash. Honey is also marketed but
its production has decreased remarkably. Some people from
Sherakot, Sheryal, and Badakot do secure government services. |
