Agriculture Sector of Pakistan
What is Agriculture?
Agriculture is the practice of cultivating and farming animals, food, and other life forms that are used to sustain life. The science and art of cultivation on the soil, raising crops, and rearing livestock are called agriculture. It is also called farming.
Sericulture:
Commercial rearing of silkworms is called Sericulture. It may supplement the income of the farmer
Pisciculture:
Pisciculture is the breeding of fish in specially constructed tanks and ponds.
Viticulture:
Viticulture refers to the cultivation of crops.
Horticulture:
Growing vegetables, flowers, and fruits for commercial use is called horticulture.
Agriculture Sector in Pakistan:
Agriculture is a vital sector of Pakistan’s economy. It accounts for 21 % of the total GDP in Pakistan. It employs 41 % of the labor force of Pakistan. About 25 % of Pakistan’s total land area is under cultivation. The agriculture sector provides a large and healthy contribution to foreign exchange earnings. Agriculture practices in Pakistani lands date back to 4500 BC in Indus Civilization.
Characteristics of Agriculture In Pakistan:
About 20% of Pakistan’s total land is cultivatable and is irrigated by one of the largest irrigation systems in the world. According to the official government data, 21.3% of Pakistan’s GDP comes from the Agriculture sector.
Different Fields of Agriculture in Pakistan:
These are some of the main fields of agriculture in Pakistan.
1. Crops (major & minor crops)
2. Livestock and poultry
3. Forestry
4. Fisheries
Irrigation in Pakistan:
Pakistan has one of the largest irrigation systems in the world. Pakistan irrigates three times more acres than Russia. Indus River and its tributaries are capable of watering over 16 million hectares of land in Pakistan. The irrigation system in Pakistan includes dams, barrages, headwork, canals, and distribution channels.
Issues of Agriculture Sector of Pakistan:
Limited Cultivated Area:
Pakistan has a limited area of 79.6 million acres of which 23.5% is underused and unexploited to its maximum benefits. In Pakistan, about 8-9 million areas from the cultivatable land are uncultivated.
Low Yield:
Pakistan’s agriculture sector faces the issue of low per acre yield in major crops, like wheat, rice, and cotton. Meanwhile, other agricultural countries get more yield mainly because of skillful labor and the use of modern technology in their agriculture sector.
Lack of Facilities:
The quality and standards of rural infrastructure required for farming are not of adequate standard.
Lack of Education:
Most farmers in Pakistan are poorly or entirely uneducated. They are unaware of the modern farming techniques and the requirements of current fast-moving markets for different crop cultivations.
Improper Storage:
Rural farming areas lack proper storage for the harvested crops. Due to the lack of storage facilities, a large of harvested crop yield goes to waste.
Far Away Markets:
Pakistan lacks a proper channel of markets to facilitate the farmers. Rural areas suffer the most.
Crop Intensity:
Crop intensity in Pakistan agriculture is lower compared to other agricultural countries. The number of crops grown on a piece of land is known as crop intensity. The agricultural sector of Pakistan faces the issue of low crop intensity than developed countries.
Main Crops of Pakistan:
Rabi Crops (harvested in early summer): Wheat, Barley, Oil-Seeds.
Kharif Crops (harvested in early winter): Rice, Cotton, Sugar-Cane, Maize, Millets, etc.
Role of Agriculture Sector of Pakistan:
Agriculture is one main source of the National Income of Pakistan. It is one of the main sources of Employment (45% of the labor force) for Pakistan, 66.7% population in rural areas depend on agriculture production. The agricultural sector helps in the reduction of poverty in Pakistan. It is the major supplier of food for the population. Agriculture crops have high demands for Industrial use. Another key contribution of agriculture is providing control and balance over inflation. Besides, it provides self-sufficiency to the farmers and the nation at large.
Pakistan is the World’s Largest Producer and Supplier of:
- Chickpea (2nd)
- Rice (4th)
- Cotton (4th)
- Mango (4th)
- Sugarcane (5th)
- Milk (5th)
- Date Palm (5th)
- Apricot (6th)
- Kinnow/ Mandarin Oranges/ Clementine (6th)
- Onion(7th)
- Wheat (7th)
Main Crops of Pakistan:
Wheat, Rice, Sugarcane, Cotton are the main crops of Pakistan. These constitute about 75% of total crops production.
Wheat:
The country’s largest crop is WHEAT with 21.6 million metric tons, Which is more than what all Africa produced (20million) and nearly equal to what all South America produced (24 million).
Cotton:
Pakistan is the world’s 4th largest producer of COTTON. The country is the World’s 3rd largest exporter of raw cotton. COTTON produced is 15.6 million bales. One Bale of cotton is about 500 pounds.
Rice:
The world’s finest long-grained aromatic basmati RICE is known as Basmati Pak-10 is produced in Pakistan.
Some famous types of Rice are rice 385, Super Kernel, Basmati, Brown Rice, Parboiled Rice, etc. Pakistan exports 3.75 million tons of rice all over the world.
Sugar cane:
Another important cash crop of Pakistan is sugar cane. It has a production of 35.4 t/hec with 760,000hec, as compared to World’s largest Brazil with 61 t/hec with 4055,000 hectares.
Contribution of Agriculture Crops to Pakistan Economy:
About Rs.505,000 million was contributed by MAJOR CROPS in 2005 with a 55% growth rate since 2000. Additionally, Rs. 185,000 million was contributed by MINOR CROPS in 2005 with a 41% growth rate since 2000. Total Agriculture Sector export of Pakistan is Rs. 288 billion including food grains, vegetables, fruits, tobacco, fisheries products, spices, and livestock.
Problems in the agricultural sector of Pakistan:
- Flood
- Water-Logging and Salinity (Land Cancer)
- Lack of Irrigation Facilities
- Ignorance of the Farmers
- Scarcity of Funds
- Land Erosion
- Inadequate System of Transportation
- Underutilization of Cultivable Land
Solutions:
- Control of Water-logging and Salinity
- Flood Control
- Increase in Agricultural Growth
- Training of Farmers
- Modern Techniques
Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC):
Starting education programs for farmers and giving them training about modern farming methods and tools.
Recommendations to Improve Agriculture Sector of Pakistan:
Pakistan is still far from realizing the large potential yield. Well-irrigated and fertile soil from the Indus irrigation system could produce more than the present yield. The key to a much-needed improvement of productivity lies in more efficient use of resources, principally land and water.
Increase investments in research and technology development. As well as accelerated development of high yielding/disease-resistant varieties, providing training centers for the farmers to teach them the modern farming techniques and methods. Plus, microfinancing should be introduced at a bigger scale in Pakistan for the enhancement of rural areas.