Outline

Upper Dir has a total area of 3699 sq. km with a population size of 946,421 which comprises of 49% (approx.) male and 51% female population. The area has seen a population growth of approximately 64% in the last 19 years.

It is one of the relatively new districts of KP, formed in 1996. It is predominately a mountainous region covered with forest and scant infrastructural development. Agriculture, Horticulture, Minerals, Tourism and Foreign Remittances are the main sources of income generation for the population. As of now, the aforementioned mainstay sectors can be primarily targeted for regional development. For this purpose, it is proposed that modern techniques in these sectors may be introduced in the province with focus on value addition and ‘private regulated markets’ be setup in the district. In addition, the sectors of Hydro-Power generation (Electricity Farming), Tourism (EcoTourism) and Forestry (Furniture Industry and Carbon Marketing), Mineral Mining (Granite) also have potential to generate revenue, create jobs and contribute in regional development. High quality Granite reserves of 1170 tons and 5875 tons of Feldspar reserves are found in Upper Dir District. A report from Directorate of Mines and Minerals also indicate that reserves of Aquamarine and Copper also exist in Dir district, however, further exploration and research is required to estimate exact numbers.

1. Agriculture and Horticulture

Snapshot:

31,572 hectares of area is cultivated while uncultivated area is 94,928 hectares. Irrigated area is 22,388 hectares while forest area 81,332 hectares. Among agricultural crops of Upper Dir, wheat holds the central importance and is indeed the largest produced crop of the district. The major crops, fruits and vegetables grown are illustrated in table below;

Strengths

1. High production of wheat, rice, maize and onion, while in fruits it is apricot, apple, pear, plum, walnut &persimmon.

Opportunities

In order to bear maximum benefits from agriculture and horticulture sectors of Upper Dir, following policy options are available:

1. The Government should incentivize cultivation of area-appropriate crops and other agricultural products;
   • Agriculture department of KP, in collaboration with Agriculture University of KP, should apprise local farming community of productivity levels of different crops, vegetables and fruits in their area.
   • Farmers should be encouraged to plant crops in which their given area holds comparative advantage. In this regard, a certain amount of financial cushion should be provided to farmer to help them in the transition phase –– in cases where farmers are not used to or not familiar with a high yielding agricultural product.
2. Regular workshops and seminars should be conducted to educate farmers on modern farming techniques. In this regard, assistance from donor agencies could also be sought.
3. Look into the possibility of ’Private regulated markets’ can be introduced in the region, which not only can increase the productivity of horticulture but would also benefit both consumers and sellers. For this, these steps are needed to be taken:
   • Streamline the management structure.
   • Educate the farmers and distributors about the value of hygiene and value addition, and ensure they provide quality products.
   • Promote gradual institutional development.
   • Investments to improve common infrastructure and facilities should be a continual process.
   • Promote mechanism for public private partnership
   • Build the capacity of all the stake holders, extension workers, businessmen and farmers including women.
   • Ensure availability of certified plant materials
   • Minimize the pre and post-harvest losses through strategic planning

2. Hydro-electricity

Snapshot:

Small running rivers and streams of Upper Dir give the district a distinct advantage of potentially producing excess hydro-electricity. Following highlights are of importance here:

Awarded raw sites

• • Bela, Gwaldai Sin – 20.4 MW
  • Serai Sin – Zhandrai Khwar – 6.8 MW
  • Osheri III – 6.5 MW

Strengths

1. Hydroelectric potential.
2. Surplus electricity production possibility once projects are undertaken.

Opportunities

Upper Dir can become one of the nation’s ‘Electricity Farms’, given the minor potential it carries. But following needs to be taken care of by PEDO:

1. On priority bases, ensure that the current and medium-run (5 years) energy demand of local consumers is met first;
   • Identify and work on projects which have capacity to generate electricity.
   • In addition, some backup projects for current demand of electricity be initiated as well.
2. For winters, when electricity supply would be low, make arrangements for alternative supply sources;
   • Supply of required power from the National Grid.
   • Investigate the potential of bridging the supply gap with solar power.
3. Implements plans for construction of Hydro Power Stations for excess electricity in future;
   • Tenders be opened for their construction immediately.
   • Road and other communication infrastructure be improved for ease in supply of raw material.
4. Undertake survey and planning for a HV Transmission Line between Upper Dir and neighboring regions i.e. Swat and Afghanistan etc. In this regard, PEDO can make HV transmission line as part of NTDC Plans.
5. Consider a local power generation and distribution company for Upper Dir which would be responsible for generating and distributing electricity to NTDC / Operator. It will give local ownership and take focus away from PESCO.

3. Tourism and Hospitality Sector

Snapshot

This sector does carry potential of bringing substantial revenue for the area, if given proper attention. The District has array of exotic tourist spots on offer for visitors, including Doog Dara, Kumrat Valley, Ushirai Dara. These places are known to visitors and are naturally preserved. In addition, there are natural spots for hiking and camping for the tourists.

Strengths

1. Full of tourist spots and regions for hiking.

Opportunities

Tourism Cooperation of Government of KP (TCKP) needs to take following steps to make “Hub of Eco-Tourism”:

1. Coordinate with Communication Department to improve road and telecommunication setup for facilitation of tourists.
2. Identify new locations for building of quality TCKP Guest houses and camping sites for tourists in the area, and upgrade the existing ones.
3. Open tenders and invite private hospitality businesses to open their setups in the area, such as Serena, Avari, PC and Hilton etc.
4. Identify areas for construction of family theme parks, adventure parks and chair lifts etc. in these villages and invite private sector for investment.
5. Conduct research on other areas of the district and identify potential spots where feasible tourist resorts can be constructed in the long-run.
6. Promote tourism for Upper District through promotion campaigns on TCKP website and Television Ads.

4. Forestry

Snapshot

Upper District is well resourced with forest cover, which amounts to 81,332 hectares of area. As now, the local population use it mostly for fire wood. There are also some small scale industrial units in the area which make some good quality furniture. If properly managed and incentivized, this industry has potential to grow. Plus, there is opportunity to earn some “carbon credits’ with the available forest, as developed countries have well exceeded their quota of carbon emission and hence can buy it from Pakistan.

Strengths

1. 81,332 hectares of forest cover.

Opportunities

The Government of KP can act upon following Opportunities to increase the efficiency of this sector:

1. Campaign of ‘Billion Tree Tsunami’ should be implanted in letter and spirit in the area.
2. To completely curb the timber mafia, the forest guards should be equipped be with modern facilities and their number should be increased as well.
3. Government would also do well to ensure that all households have gas connections or other alternative fuel sources.
4. A small vocational institute in the district for training of local people in quality carpentry.
5. The area under forest should be offered to international companies for carbon trading, through competitive bidding process;
   • The selected companies would be leased a selected portion of land under forest or land designated for plantation of forest.
   • Companies would primarily responsible for protection of the forests. They could involve local community in this regard.
   • The revenue earned through carbon crediting would be shared appropriately between the companies, the Forest Department of KP and the locals.
6. For the preservation of current forest reserves in the area, the Government should also collaborate with REDD+ Project in Pakistan (Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), an initiative of International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development and WWF-Pakistan or other projects of similar nature;
   • Develop capacity development of all stakeholders in the area.
   • They would also provide consultancy to the stakeholders and independently monitor the progress of whole process.

5. Conclusion

Upper Dir district is full of opportunities for the investors but if these opportunities are availed properly while addressing the above-mentioned threats, the district can grow its commercial viability and could attract businesses and generate revenue for the investors.