Industry — Gilgit-Baltistan
72,496 km², three divisions, and ten districts. The economy is rooted in horticulture, minerals, livestock, tourism, and cottage industry.
Divisions
- Gilgit Division: Gilgit, Hunza, Nagar, and Ghizer. Administrative, trade, and logistics core on the Karakoram Highway.
- Baltistan Division: Skardu, Kharmang, Shigar, and Ghanche. Minerals, trekking routes, and high-altitude agriculture.
- Diamer-Astore Division: Diamer and Astore. Forests, hydel potential, and livestock grazing.
Sectors
| Sector | Focus | Key districts |
|---|---|---|
| Horticulture and agro-processing | Apricots, apples, cherries, almonds, walnuts, seed potatoes, seabuckthorn | Gilgit, Skardu, Hunza, Ghizer, Nagar |
| Minerals and mining | Marble, granite, aquamarine, quartz, nephrite, copper, antimony, lead, placer gold | Skardu, Gilgit, Nagar, Shigar, Ghizer |
| Livestock and dairy | Cattle, goats, sheep, yak, organic mutton, cheese and dairy | Astore, Diamer, Ghizer, Ghanche |
| Fisheries | Trout farming and cold-water aquaculture | Ghizer, Skardu, Gilgit, Astore |
| Cottage and handicrafts | Woodwork, gemstone cutting, woolen shawls and rugs | Gilgit, Skardu, Diamer (Chilas) |
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Employment and energy
Agriculture employs about 52.9% of the workforce. Services, largely tourism, transport, and public administration, employ about 32.5%. Industry and manufacturing, including mining, construction, agro-processing, and handicrafts, employ about 14.6%.
Energy is driven by 138-plus hydel units, alongside expanding transmission lines. Planned industry includes the Minawar industrial zone in Gilgit and wood-working units such as those at Chilas.
Recorded mineral output
| Mineral | Annual recorded output |
|---|---|
| Marble | about 2,087 to 3,856 tons |
| Granite | about 3,560 to 6,885 tons |
| Pozzolan | about 3,045 to 5,876 tons |
| Nephrite | about 324 to 456 tons |
| Copper | about 183 to 902 tons |
| Lead | about 235 to 404 tons |
| Rough quartz | about 174 to 262 kg |
| Aquamarine and gemstones | about 66 kg |
| Placer gold | about 1,423 grams |
District highlights
- Gilgit: Provincial capital and commercial centre, with the Minawar industrial zone, education and IT activity, banking, and services.
- Skardu: Baltistan hub for gemstone lapidary, fruit processing, tourism, and trout farming.
- Diamer: Timber, minerals, riverine agriculture, the Karakoram Highway, and wood-working training at Chilas.
- Ghizer: Agriculture, private trout farms, and livestock.
- Hunza: Organic fruit, eco-tourism, winter sports, and high literacy.
- Nagar: Minerals, hydel units, orchards, and cooperative farming.
- Ghanche: Handicrafts, fruit value chains, and community wildlife conservation around Khaplu.
- Astore: Seed potatoes, cereals, forestry, yak rearing, and cold-water fisheries.
- Shigar: Adventure tourism, marble and granite, orchards, and fish farming.
- Kharmang: Irrigation, mineral exploration, and community market roads.