Agriculture Sector

Cultivated area:
GoP 2017-18: Total area 79.61 million ha

Total cropped area of Pakistan is 22.67 million ha,

Forest area 4.55 m.ha

Crop situation:

Kharif crops: begins in April-june harvested in oct- dec

Rice, sugarcane, cotton, maize, bajra, jowar

Rabi crops: begins in oct-dec harvested in April-may

Wheat, gram, lentil, tobacco, barley

Major crops: Cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane

Minor crops: oilseeds, maize, grams, tobacco, and other

Significance of agriculture sector:

 60% population lives in rural area.

 The share of agriculture in GDP is 19.5 percent and about 42.3 percent country’s labor
force is involved in agriculture (GoP, 2017).

 Livestock 58.33%, crops 37.33%, fishing 2.12% forest 2.33% share in agriculture sector.

 Contribution in export is 17.77%.

Importance in Economic development

 Increase in per capita income

 Major source of employment

 Reduction in poverty

 Supply of foods

 source of forex earning

 supply of surplus labour

  Source of national income

 Supply of raw material

 Development of industrial sector

 Balance of payment position

 Improvement in living standard

 Extension in market size

 Capital formation

 Increase in investment

 Economic development

 Self-reliance policy

 Direct foreign investment

 Controlling the inflation

 Reduction in regional disparities

 Demand for industrial goods

 Balance growth economy

 Increase in govt revenue

Causes of low productivity:

1. Techno-economic problems:
 Limited cultivable area

 Water logging and salinity

 Slow growth of allied products

 Low per hectare yield

 Inadequate Infrastructure

 Uneconomic land holding

 Old method of production

 Inadequate supply of Agricultural inputs

  Lack of irrigation facilities

 Inadequate Agricultural research

1. Techno-economic problems:
 Problems of land reform and land tenure system

 Improper crop rotation

 Subsistence farming

 Low cropping Intensity

2. Natural Problems
 Under utilization of land

 Various plant diseases

 Natural calamities

 Scarcity of the HYV seeds

3. Socio-economic problems:
 Political instability

 Consumption oriented

 Farmers litigation

 Joint family system

 Illiteracy and ill health

4. Financial Problems
 Shortage of agriculture finance

 Lack of credit

 Poor financial position of farmers

 Instability in market prices

How to improve productivity:

Supply of agri-credit.

Water logging and salinity control

Construction of dams

Provision of HYV seed and fertilizer

Mechanization

Agricultural Research

Agro based Industries

Tax concession

Training of farmers

Prices of agricultural productivities

Dry farming

Better transport and communication