"It's the busiest time of the year. I pluck about 70 to 100 kilograms of cherries every day," said a woman picking the cherries in Tajikistan's second largest cherry orchard in Hisor, a small town about an hour's drive from Dushanbe, Tajikistan's capital.

Agriculture is the pillar industry of Tajikistan. Farming accounts for 70 percent of the country's agricultural industry, and 90 percent of farmers are growing fruits.

An orchard run by Chinese

It's harvest time for cherries. We met with Kang Zhongyu, a Chinese businessman living in Tajikistan for over 20 years, at the orchard.

This is one of the largest cherry orchards in Tajikistan, with more than 40,000 cherry trees planted in the mountainous country. Kang said it is the perfect place for cherries.

"The altitude here is 800 meters, and the temperature difference between day and night could reach 20 degrees Celsius, with long periods of sunshine. These factors make this place the best to grow cherries," Kang added.

He not only made a financial commitment but has also brought Chinese agricultural and farming experience. He said that people usually want the trees to be as big as possible, but now they'll control its size so the fruit tastes better. Meanwhile, they follow the old plantation methods, keeping ample space between trees to let the branches grow horizontally.

A demo for agricultural cooperation

"I've been working here for 10 years. In the summer, every family in our village will have someone to come to help with plucking. It's an important source of income," said another woman who is picking cherries.

It's now a reliable source of income for local people. At the peak of the harvest season, the orchard needs more than 1,000 farmers.

May, June and July see the harvesting of cherries. After being picked and packed, cherries are exported to Russia and China by cargo planes. Within 24 hours, the fruit will be served on the table of consumers. Good taste and competitive prices make the cherries accessible at the market.

China imported nearly 200,000 tons of cherries last year valued at 1.3 billion U.S. dollars, including some from Tajikistan.

Tajikistan was among the first countries to participate in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. Agricultural cooperation under that framework is expected to see more opportunities and bring more benefits to both peoples.