Salient Features of Pakistan’s Agriculture

Zohaib Aslam
Vist. Lecturer
PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Gujrat

Basic Agriculture
AGR-301
Salient features of Pakistan’s Agriculture
Soil
Crops
Climate
Irrigation
Economic Development
Low rate of Productivity
Inferior Quality of Products
Inadequate Marketing Facility
Salient features of Pakistan’s Agriculture
Soil
Sandy to sandy loam soil
Organic matter varies from 0.45-0.58%.
Nitrogen 0.04 to 0.06%
Phosphorus less than 10 ppm (10 mg/kg)
No deficiency of potash (deficiency level is 125 ppm)
1/5 of Punjab area lies under rain fed conditions.
Range lands cover about 60% area of country.
Salient features of Pakistan’s Agriculture
Problems of Pakistan’s soil
Waterlogging, salinity/alkalinity, low soil fertility, and less
organic matter are problems of irrigated areas.
Soil erosion, water conservation, and low soil fertility are
problems of barani areas.
Salient features of Pakistan’s Agriculture
Important Crops
Food Crops Fiber Crops Sugar Crops Pulses
•Wheat •Cotton •Sugarcane •Gram
•Millet (Bajra) •Flax (Alsi) •Sugarbeet •Lentil (Masar)
•Rice •Sunhemp (Sun) •Stivia •Mungbean
•Barley •Jute (Patsan) •Sweet sorghum •Mashbean
•Maize
•Sorghum (Jawar)
Cash Crops •Sugarcane •Cotton •Tobacco •Sugarbeet
 Salient features of Pakistan’s Agriculture
Climate
Arid climate with low rainfall and humidity and high solar radiations,
high temperature in summer days and very low in winter nights.
Annual rainfall = 200 mm in most areas
Sindh & Punjab = 60 % rainfall in Monsoon (July-September)
Balochistan & KPK = Maximum rainfall in Oct-March
 Salient features of Pakistan’s Agriculture
Irrigation (Life blood of agriculture)
Pakistan’s agriculture rely heavily on irrigation.
 Pakistan Irrigation system is one of the largest systems in all
over the world. Pakistan irrigation system stretches in whole
Pakistan. Irrigation system is necessary for productive crop
growing to establish sustainable growth. Approximately three
fourth of the land is cultivated under this largest canal system.
Canal system is a substitute for the shortage of rainfall.
(Usman M., 2016)
Salient features of Pakistan’s Agriculture
Economic Development
Pakistan major crops are wheat, rice, maize, sugarcane and cotton.
Contribution of major crops in agriculture sector is about to be 25.6%
and contribution of major crops in GDP is almost 5.4% according to the
economic survey of Pakistan. Wheat participate in contribution of
agriculture is approximately 10.3% and in l GDP is 2.2%. Rice is cash
plus a food crop. Share of rice in our agriculture is almost 3.1% and in
GDP is 0.7%. The Cotton is a cash crop and make raw material for our
textile industry and contribution in GDP is almost 1.4%. Sugarcane is
also a cash crop and also food crop. Our sugar industry is based on raw
material of sugarcane. Sugarcane contribute in agriculture sector is
3.4% and in GDP is 0.7%. Minor crops contributing in agriculture sector
is 11.6%.
 Salient features of
Pakistan’s Agriculture
Low rate of Productivity:
The productivity rate of agriculture
in Pakistan is low and it does not
compare favorably with productivity
rate in other countries of the world.
It is one fourth and in some cases it
is one third of what is produced in
other countries. The following table
depicts the position fully well:-
Salient features of Pakistan’s Agriculture
following factors are responsible low rate of productivity.
Soil deterioration.
Salinity and water-logging
Pest and plant disease.
Lack of incentives to work hard and invest.
Inferior quality of seeds.
Lack of proper supervision.
Small and scattered holdings.
Primitive technique of cultivation.
Salient features of Pakistan’s Agriculture
Inferior Quality of Products:
The agricultural products of Pakistan lack standardization
because of the unscientific and primitive methods of
cultivation. The good and defective seeds are used together
with a result that the superior and inferior quality of
products is harvested in the same field and the product is
generally a mixture of the two. The ultimate effect is that
the produce is not standardized and as such, it cannot to
grade.
Salient features of Pakistan’s Agriculture
Inadequate Marketing Facility:
The marketing facility for agricultural products in Pakistan is still far
from satisfactory. There are a large number of middlemen in the
agricultural sector of the country operating in between the farmers
and the ultimate consumers. They collect the produce at the place of
production and arrange for their transportation to the trade centers.
They purchase the products at a cheaper price and sell them at a
higher price. The farmers being poor and in debt, are always in hurry
to dispose of the products. They also have no knowledge of price
prevailing in the market and accept readily whatever is offered to
them.
(Rafia, 2011)
Thanks
For Patience