Pakistan is a semi-industrialist, Agro based economy with a contribution of 22.7% towards Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employing 37.4% of the labor force in the country. Agricultural development will directly impact the economy, quality of life and food security of the country.
Salient Features
Diverse Geography
Pakistan ranks most populated country; climate varying from high arid desert in North to coastal & subtropical in South.
Farm Sector
Cropped area constituted 26.572 million hectares in 2021-22 with cultivation of major crops (cotton, maize, wheat, rice & sugarcane), fodder, cereals, legumes, oilseed crops & other crops (such as tobacco, potato, chilies)
Pakistan has 4.786 million hectares of forest cover (5.45%) which are on the lower sides depending on factors such as deforestation for wood supply and growing populations with little awareness of population towards environmental issues such as climate change and global warming.
Livestock Sector
Livestock is the major contributor of 14.04% in GDP of the country (61.89% of total agriculture). Livestock sector has strong potential for growth including indigenous demands for food (milk/ meat/ eggs/ hides) as well as export of quality meat and related dairy products. Gross milk production stood at 66 metric tonnes & red meat production remained over 5 metric tonnes in 2021-22 in addition to other derivatives of the livestock sector.
Pakistan is the 11th largest producer of poultry with a cushion for further growth & employing over 1.5million labor.
Irrigation System
The country has the world's contiguous largest irrigation system (Indus Basin Irrigation System) irrigating almost 80% of the cultivable area. Indus river along with its tributaries irrigate approximate average annual withdrawal of 101 MAF (million acres feet) & another 50 MAF is pumped through over 1.2million tubewells.
Lack of ample reservoirs, sedimentation of existing reservoirs, rising population and inability to secure the fresh water from annual rains are key challenges to the irrigation system of Pakistan.
Challenges & Future Prospects
Despites all the facts & figures shared above, there exists a gap between food demand & supply based on issues such as low to no postharvest processing, storage and packaging issues. Lack of awareness of farmers towards intensive & conservative tillage, lack of proper farm mechanization, availability of quality certified seeds. Lack of handling of fresh rain water in rain fed irrigation systems & sedimentation of existing water reservoirs coupled with increasing population are further increasing the water shortage for marginal & rainfed areas.
Opportunities
Pakistani agriculture boost further to all these channels thereby, bridging the gap between food demand & supply, exports and increasing the quality of life.
The growth of agriculture will improve farm income, availability of diverse food varieties, reduction in consumer prices and above all, exports will grow directly from agriculture as well as its allied agro-based industries.
