BAHRIA UNIVERSITY

KARACHI CAMPUS
ASSIGNMENT #01
FALL 2020

TOPIC OF ASSIGNMENT: THE ECONOMY OF PAKISTAN

Students have to write about any crop, vegetable or fruits which is cultivated in Pakistan. And
also mention that how it can help boosting Pakistan`s economy.

This assignment is of 10 marks.

Note: Due to this pandemic COVID-19 and lockdown in the city, students are requested to
submit their assignment on my email ID erumaliwaradk@gmail.com.
Stay Home, Stay Safe

Regards,
ERUM ALI WARDAK
Ammarah Idris Khan
Basmati Rice
Introduction:

Basmati rice is full of balanced nutrients and high energy caloric food, about 75% of the
carbohydrate present is in the form of rice starch while 7% in the form of aryznine and glutelin.
Furthermore the rice also contains 80% protein and certain minerals such as phosphorous and
enzymes. Pakistan’s Basmati rice is well known throughout the world, it enjoys monopoly in the
international market due to its characteristic qualities and strong aroma. The main Basmati rice
importing countries form Pakistan are U.K, Canada, Germany, Oman, UAE etc.

The name basmati has been derived from the combination of two Hindi words: BAS which
means fragrant and MATI which means queen, hence it means Queen of fragrance. It is said
that Basmati Rice was instigated and identified only in Asia for many years. Basmati rice is
grown in certain parts of Punjab, some of the main growing areas of Basmati are Districts
Gujranwala, Sialkot, Hafizabad.

Importance of Basmati Rice in Boasting the economy of Pakistan:

Rice is the second most important crop which Pakistan exports that helps to improve economy
as well as earn billions of rupees. Pakistan is the 11th largest producer and the 4th largest
exporter of rice. Rice accounts for 5.7% of the value added in agriculture and 1.3% of GDP in
Pakistan. Pakistan is considered to be one of the, best producers of basmati rice which is then
exported to other countries such as Oman, UAE, Thailand etc. In Pakistan Sindh and Punjab are
mainly responsible for growth of rice . Punjab is the leading rice growing province with about
61% of rice area and responsible for 46% of total rice production of the country. The best
known producers of this type of rice in Asia are India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

 Sindh is responsible for producing the long grain white rice known as IRRI-6 and IRRI-9. In 2018
Pakistan exported about three million metric tons of rice which therefore had a positive effect
upon the country’s economy. Rice exports reached record US$ 932.3 million, showing an
extraordinary increase of US$ 297.8 million (46.9 percent) during FY 05 despite a fall in unit
values. Export values of basmati rice and other varieties stood at US$ 439 and US$ 493.6
respectively. Rice was cultivated on an area of 2.847 million hectares during the period 2014-15
showing an increase of 20% over last year.
In Punjab and Sindh millions of farmers depend upon rice cultivation as their source of
employment. Moreover population growth in Pakistan is rapidly increasing hence the demand
for food is increasing as well, according to UNDP human development report the population
growth rate of Pakistan is about 2% per year. The production of rice and other agricultural
products has allowed us to meets the demand of the growing population. The foreign exchange
earned is used for the import of industrial or technological equipments such as machinery,
automobiles etc. Hence we were able to import important farming machinery which had
therefore helped to further improve our crops especially rice hence leading to an increase in
foreign exchange earnings.

Similarly the foreign exchange canbe used to improve infrastructure of economy such as
roads, electric systems, sewage etc or it can be used to improve other sectors such as health,
education and investments. The agricultural sector had made great contribution to the GDP of
our country’s economy, its contribution is much greater than that of other sectors. Hence the
increase in GDP allowed the technological farmers with land to increase their production, this
hence helped to reduce rural poverty as several urban lands were converted into cultivated
lands.

Infrastructure plays an important role in the development of the economy. It is the fuel to the
economy development, the foreign exchange earned through the export of rice as well other
products can be used to improve the means of transportation, so that raw materials could be
delivered to the industries much more quickly and efficiently. The banking sector could be
improved which could then provide small loans to the farmers as well as low interest rates.

Conclusion:

The basmati trade has played a vital role in the improvement of rural poverty and the
advancement in technology. Quality seeds play an important role in boosting agricultural
production both in market and farming system. The greater the quality of seed the greater the
net income.