Find Agriculture expertise in Pakistan

Industry

Agriculture, together with forestry and fisheries, contributed roughly 25% of GDP in 2010 and 34.1% of land is given over to agricultural use (2009). Agriculture is a fundamental component of the Pakistani economy providing over 45% of the population with employment (2008). Agricultural activity in the country is mostly small scale, so increased mechanisation is necessary to facilitate growth in the sector. Pakistan has two main growing seasons, divided into Rabi and Kharif. The Rabi crops are wheat, lentils, tobacco, rapeseed and barley, whilst rice, sugarcane, cotton and maize are grown during Kharif.

Cotton alone contributed 1.4% of GDP in 2010, which amounted to a total production of 12.9 million bales. According to a UN Food and Agriculture report in 2005, Pakistan is the second largest producer of chickpeas and the third largest producer of mangos in the world. Livestock farming is an increasingly large industry in Pakistan, and the country is now the world’s fourth largest milk producer. The pastoral sector has moved from subsistence farming to a large industry, and now accounts for 11.5% of GDP (2011). The main products in this sector are milk and meat, whilst poultry production has emerged as an important addition to this profile. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has oversight for the industry.

Development

The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report (2012-2013) ranks Pakistan 111th out of 144 countries in terms of agricultural policy cost with a score of 3.5 out of 7, below the world average of 3.9. Agriculture has been identified as a key area of growth and sustainability in Pakistan and many schemes and initiatives on a national and regional level are in place to promote development. The national Benazir Tractor Scheme subsidises the purchase of a tractor for small farmers in order to increase productivity and cultivation in poorly cultivated areas. In 2009-10 the government offered funding for 10,000 tractors to be bought under this scheme. Regional agriculture departments run various development programmes; the Punjab Agriculture Department runs several including Cotton Sticks Management, Farm Mechanisation for Food Security and Supply Chain Improvement of Selected Agriculture and Livestock Products.  The Azad Kashmir Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Department is promoting development and commercialisation with the establishment of soil and water testing labs at Rawalakot and Kotli.