Pine Nuts Of Diamer

    

 Diamer is the center of Pine Nuts in Gilgit Baltistan. Diamer every year deals with the vast business of Pine Nuts. A question that arises in everyone's mind that where do Pine Nuts come from in Diamer? Pine Nuts are found in the Mountains of Diamer which range in the Himalayas Mountain. The main areas where the Pine Nuts are found near Thak Babusar Road, Thak Sharaat, Thorr Valley, Ghoherabad, Hudur, Khiner, Butoga Valley, and District Darel, Tangir. The main task is to collect the pine nuts from the mountain it's a risk that the laborers take. The Pine Nuts are collected by the laborers and locals also help in collecting them. 

Pine Nuts are called Pinoli in Italian and Pinon in Spanish, Chilgoza in Urdu. Pine Nuts are the seeds of Pine tree. 

• When does the season start?

In September the people of Diamer and the Businessmen turn towards the mountains to collect the Pine Nuts. Businessmen sents their laborers.

• How do laborers and locals collect the Pines? 

Every village of Diamer has a committee and the members of each committee get together to fix the date for picking Pine Nuts. When the date is fixed the laborers or the locals before one day of the date which is announced by the Committee Members take their belongings that are needed for their stay and are needed for picking pine Nuts. And the next day the picking of Pines is started it takes 4 to 5 days. 

• Can outsiders go and pick the Pines?

No, outsiders are not allowed to go to the mountains and pick the pines, because the way is very hard to go up the mountains the laborers who do the pickings are also the locals. Another reason why the outsiders are not allowed is that they bring the pines on their backs because there are not many facilities, the pines approximately weighed up to 90 kg and the way is also so hard to come back with such a heavy load. The locals and the laborers are used to these types of roads and mountains because they do this work every year. 

• Can outsiders buy Pine Nuts In Diamer?

Yes, they can buy Pine Nuts from the market, from the locals.

• Are Pines Nuts ripe when they are picked or are they ripe afterward?

No, Pine Nuts are not ripe when they are picked. At that time the pines are green, after picking, the people put all the pines together under a blanket or a cover for 10 to 15 days so that they don't get spoiled. After 15 days the Pines will turn Brown and they will open revealing the fresh Pine Nuts.

• Does Pine Nuts Found anywhere else besides Diamer?

Yes, Pine Nuts are also found in other places in Gilgit which are Chalt Nagar, and District Astore. But their business center is also Diamer, Chilas.