Nothing tops winter in Pakistan as much as peeling, quartering and biting into a Kinnow – a hybrid form of orange similar to a tangerine, but with a distinctly Pakistani kick to its sweetness – nectar racing down your arm beneath the cold December sun.
And no place is as emblematic in the Kinnow’s history as Bhalwal, a tehsil in Sargodha that is the heart of citrus fruit production in Pakistan with its nitrogen-rich soil and frosty temperatures. In Bhalwal, rows upon rows of citrus orchards form a labyrinth that snakes its way to the home of the farmer who owns it.
It is mostly a farming community, major products include rice, wheat, sugarcane, and citrus fruit. Mandarin oranges are a major fruit. The largest employers are NOON sugar mills, which also owns the Nurpur Noon dairy farm.
Did you know Bhalwal is also called "California of Pakistan” due to it being the heart of oranges in Pakistan?
