AGRICULTURE:

Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the life of Pakistan’s economy. It is the backbone of our
economic system. It accounts for 21.4% of GDP. However, agriculture not only furnishes food
and raw material but also employment opportunities to a very large proportion of population as
well. In fact, it is the main occupation of our working population in the country. About 43 per cent
of our population is directly engaged in agriculture. Moreover, this ratio is very small in advance
countries such as, 5 per cent in UK, 4 per cent in USA, 16 per cent in Australia, 14 per cent in
France.

Pakistan has a rich and vast natural resource base, covering various ecological and climatic
zones; hence the country has great potential for producing all types of food commodities.
Pakistan has many cultivable waste in every province, which may be used for corporate farming
or crowd funding. The yield in Pakistan are low and this yield gap may be filled and yields may
be brought to new heights.
As much as 30% (3.4 MT) of horticultural produce that goes to waste every year, can be
converted into economic gain by investing in agribusiness value chain industries. Netherlands
may be taken as role model, where agriculture is a high-tech business. Technology has turned
small country into the world’s second-biggest exporter of agricultural products and services.
Traditionally, Limited partners (LPs) and Venture capitalist(VCs) have been skeptic to step into
AG tech. However, recent developments indicate that the industry is about to change. AG is a
data hungry industry that, historically, has not been served very well.

Crop sub sector Overview: Pakistan’s principal natural resources are arable land and water.
About 25% of Pakistan’s agriculture accounts for about 21% of GDP and employs about 43% of
the labour force. In Pakistan, the most dominant agricultural province is Punjab where wheat
and cotton are the most grown. Mango orchards are mostly found in Sindh and Punjab
provinces that make Pakistan the world’s 4th largest producer of mangoes.

Punjab: It extends over an area of 205,345 square kilometers (97,192 square miles) which is
25.8% of the total area of Pakistan. Punjab’s economy is mainly agricultural, although industry
makes a substantial contribution. The province is playing a leading role in agricultural
production. It contributes about 68% to annual food grain production in the country. Fifty-one
million acres is cultivated and another 9.05 million acres are lying as cultivable waste in different
parts of the province. Punjab’s economy is mainly agricultural, although industry makes a
substantial contribution.

Sindh: It has a geographical area of 140,900 square kilometers. The province lies between 23
and 29-degree north latitude (near tropic of cancer) and 67 and 71 degrees’ east longitude. The
Province is surrounded by land in all directions expect there is Arabian sea in the south west.

Desert and Kacho Area: The rain-fed areas of Thar district and kacho tracts of Hyderabad,
Dadu Larkana districts are suitable for millet and sorghum crops, Guar, Seas mum and caster
crops also flourish very well in desert areas of Thar after rai.

Land Utilization: It is estimated that 62% of geographical area of Sindh is arid, comprising
Thar, Nara and Kohistan, beside a large area under coastal belt (350 km) and Katch area.

Total Area: 14.09 Million Hectare

Cultivated Area: 04.87 Million Hectare 35%

Un-cultivated Area: 06.77 Million Hectare 48%

Culture able Waste: 01.42 Forest Area: 01.03 Million Hectare 7%

Balochistan: Agriculture holds a pivotal position in the economy of Balochistan. About 75% of
the population is directly or indirectly dependent on this sector. Micro agro-climatic conditions
divide the province into a number of zones.
Agriculture production activities in Balochistan 2007-08:

Geographical Area 34.72 M.Ha

Cultivated Area 1.98 M.Ha

Culturable Waste 3.97 M.Ha

FARMERS AND THE PROBLEMS:

Agriculture is the source of livelihood of 43.5 percent of our rural population. Farmers face the
greatest challenge of unification and competitiveness in advanced markets. They are restricted
by absence of basic public services.

The problems faced by farmers are three-fold: poor infrastructure, illiteracy and inadequate
monetary solutions including risk management etc. Illiteracy is the main problem among the
farmers’ community. Farmers have no idea what’s going on in the farming industry. Neither are
they aware of innovations in the agriculture sector. Rural illiteracy in the country is very high and
leads to the same old traditional farming skills being transferred to new generations instead of
skills acquired by means of a proper education system and adoption of innovations.

1. Farmers who hold less than two hectares of land cannot afford the modern machinery
that is required to increase productivity.

2. They cannot afford the expense of agricultural inputs for crop production.

3. There are no basic facilities for farmers and hence farm operations are affected. This
results in low or poor quality production with less profit to producers.

4. Agriculture labour is also a big problem for farmers. Many people are migrating to cities
to earn money as they have no net return in farming and hence there is lack of labour on
the farms.

5. There is no proper source of irrigation, and if the source is there it is insufficient.

6. Depleting ground water tables is another concern. Distribution of good quality seed is as
important as the production of such seeds. Unfortunately, good quality seeds are out of
the reach of the majority of farmers, especially small and marginal farmers mainly
because of the sky-high prices of better seeds. Similarly, good fertilizers, pesticides etc
are also out of reach for most farmers.
Instead of the expensive mechanisation of agriculture in some parts of the country, most of the
agricultural operations are carried on by the human hand – using simple and conventional tools
and implements like the wooden plough, sickle, etc because either the farmer is unaware about
the latest technology or cannot afford the expense of mechanisation for his land.

Agricultural marketing continues to be in a bad shape in rural Pakistan. In the absence of good
marketing facilities, the farmers have to depend upon local traders and middlemen for the
disposal of their farm produce – which is sold at throw-away price and as a result there is no fair
return to the farmer.

Agriculture is an important sector and requires capital. The role of capital input is becoming
more and more important with the advancements in farm technology. Since the farmer’s capital
is locked up in his lands and stocks, he is obliged to borrow money to stimulate the tempo of
agricultural production. An effective agricultural extension service acts as a connecting link
between the research service and the farming community. It provides the farmer findings of
researchers workers and brings back the problems of the farmers to the researchers so that
these problems can be solved as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, the extension department – especially in ‘baraani’ areas – is not paying much
attention to field visits. As a result, farmers still use their traditional methods and there is no
innovation in crop production. There is no proper transportation system available to the farmer
at fair prices. This is needed so that the farmer can transport his produce to the market on time
and without deterioration of the produce.

Like in other rural areas of Pakistan, the women of northern communities have an important role
in agricultural activities. Due to the conservative nature of society women are usually not
allowed to meet men other than their family members. But there is hardly any female field staff
in the Department of Agriculture (Extension).

Higher rural productivity will lead to faster growth in agriculture, rural employment and funds for
industrial development along with providing food to an ever-increasing population. The
productivity gains being restricted to big farmers may lead to social unrest, income inequalities
and political instability. At the same time, the increasingly integrated, globalised, and consumer-
driven agricultural and food markets require small holders to adapt to innovations.

Technology can’t solve all problems, especially since most farmers can’t afford it. We should
build some skill development programme. We should also increase those who hold land by
making sure people either rent out their land or sell it to other skilled farmers. This will also need
a lot of skill development among farmers. We need vocational schools and fertilizers,
insecticides and high quality seeds at prices affordable for marginal farmers as well. We need to
subsidise tractors and other agricultural machinery.

Rural irrigation needs to be developed. Now, the use of technology can be managed effectively
in different ways in order to help out farmers. This involves direct transfer of financial support by
the government to the farmers and agricultural marketing through mobile phones.

All this is possible if the extension department is strong in its linkage chain between farmers and
research institutes. In this way, farmers will be aware of the latest innovation

Strategy for agriculture development:

Objectives:

The main objectives of the strategy are to:

(i) accelerate agriculture growth and reduce rural poverty,

(ii) achieve self-reliance in essential food commodities,

(iii) expand exports and galvanise agro business potential,

(iv) achieve an average growth rate of four to five percent per annum to support overall
growth strategy of the government
(v) improve quality of growth by adopting a strategy which is pro-poor, pro-small farmer
and pro-environment.

Steps to enhance agricultural production:

Achieving these objectives will require success in the agricultural production

1. Ensuring food security and safety for all (that is, availability and access to quality
food at affordable prices) and setting up institutional framework within the Ministry of
National

2. Improving total factor productivity and competitiveness of the agriculture production

systems through technology-based interventions with emphasis on small and
medium size farmers and landless tenants

3. Improving export of agri products in compliance to the international food standards

for accessing regional and high-end markets

4. Policy and institutional reforms for moving towards market economy and involving
private sector in the agricultural business

5. Paradigm shift from resource-intensive to resource-conservation technologies for

more productive, competitive and sustainable farming systems (grow more with less
and increased use of bio energy, etc.)

6. Managing natural resources in a sustainable manner by adopting good agricultural

production practices (Global GAP) with emphasis on sustainable use of land and
water resources (aquifer recharge in arid and semi-arid regions)

7. Strengthening and integration by improved coordination of the National Agricultural

Research System to enhance the process of innovation and commercialisation.
 8. Improving sector governance, particularly the delivery and quality of agriculture
support services (research, extension, agriculture credit, marketing, inputs supply)
and computer-based land record management system

9. Educate the farmers with the proper utilization of the new agricultural techniques.

10. There is lack of awareness among the farmers regarding the new challenges and
demands under the WTO regime.

11. There is a need to develop a comprehensive course of action for sustainable

accelerated growth in agriculture sector.

12. Pakistan has to change its methods of production in the traditional means of
production.

13. Pakistan has potential to export its agricultural products in European Markets and
neighboring countries but this depend upon the Government priorities and Trade
Policies.

Future Prospects for Increasing Agricultural

Productivity:
1. Upscaling of Modern Technology
2. Modern Agricultural Biotechnology
3. Drainage and Reclamation
4. Improved Agricultural Credit Land Reforms
5. Effective Communication
6. Enhanced Good Quality Seed Production
7. Improved Availability and Use of Inputs
8. Support Price Policies
9. Improved Irrigation Water Management
10. Farmers’ Education and Training

References:
1. Sampson GP. Compatibility of regional and multilateral trading agreements: reforming the
WTO process. The American Economic Review, (1996); 86(2): 88-92.
2. Murphy KM, Shleifer A. Quality and trade. Journal of development economics, (1997);
53(1): 1-15.

3. Khan AH, Mahmood Z. Emerging global trading environment: challenges for Pakistan.
Asian Development Review, (1996);

4. Mahmood MA, Sheikh A, Akmal N. Impact of trade liberalization on agriculture in

Pakistan: a review. Journal of Agricultural Research, (2010); 48(1): 121-131.