AGRICULTURE
IN PAKISTAN
Agriculture
plays an important role directly and indirectly in generating
economic
growth. It provides food to consumers and fibers for domestic
industry. It is a
source
of scarce foreign exchange earning and provides market for industrial
goods.
Agriculture
has strong backward and forward linkages with industry as it is the
largest
purchaser
of farm inputs such as chemicals, fertilizers and machinery and
supplies raw
material
to textile and food processing industry.
Pakistan
is blessed with a variety of climatic and geographic regimes which
are
suitable
to grow almost all kinds of food, fiber and cash crops including
fruits and
vegetables.
Wheat and rice are the main staple food crops while cotton and
sugarcane
are
the main cash/industrial crops and the economy of the country is
purely dependant
on
them.
Government
has identified agriculture as one of the priority areas to be focused
to
support economy and address unemployment and increasing poverty
problems. The
key
pillars of Government’s strategy in Agriculture sector are:
• To
make the agriculture profitable in term of trade.
• Produce
and ensure surplus for local industry and export.
• Bring
innovation and knowledge in agriculture practices by better seed and
machinery.
• Improve
policy and legal frame work to facilitate new investment and
varieties.
• Timely
address crises by maintaining surplus and improving logistic.
• Attract
foreign investment and technology through bilateral and multi-lateral
interactions.
The
major crops include wheat, rice, maize, millets, sorghum,
sugarcane, pulses, cotton,
oilseeds.
Pakistan is home to the aromatic long grain ‘Basmati rice’ grown
in the plans of #orth Punjab. Some of the best varieties of fruits
are grown in Pakistan includes
mangos,
oranges, apples, peaches plums, apricots, cherries, grapes, pears,
pomegranate,
guava, melons and dates. A wide variety of vegetables are also
produced
in
Pakistan.
The
importance of agriculture to the economy is seen in three
ways: first, it provides food to consumers and fibres for domestic
industry; second, it is a source of scarce foreign exchange earnings;
and third, it provides a market for industrial goods.
the
agricultural sector plays an important part in Pakistan's economy
by:
• contributing 24 percent towards GDP;
• providing food to about 130 million people;
• earning about 60 percent of the country's total export earnings;
• providing employment to 47 percent of the total work force;
• providing the main source of livelihood for the rural population of Pakistan;
• providing raw materials for many industries and a market for many locally produced industrial products.
• contributing 24 percent towards GDP;
• providing food to about 130 million people;
• earning about 60 percent of the country's total export earnings;
• providing employment to 47 percent of the total work force;
• providing the main source of livelihood for the rural population of Pakistan;
• providing raw materials for many industries and a market for many locally produced industrial products.
ISSUES
& CHALLENGES
- Poorly functioning factor markets and restricted access to assets limit opportunities for growth of rural areas and reduction in poverty.
- ·Inequality and land concentration.
- Agricultural growth is limited
- Unsuitable water resources management:
- Weak rural service delivery: