About 40 percent of the land in Sindh is arableland and 5 percent of it is rangeland. The totalcultivated area in Sindh is 5.88 million hectaresand the net area sown is 2.39 million hectares.The total cropped area is 3.10 million hectares,of which 0.71 million hectares are sown morethan once1. Sindh grows a variety of field andhorticultural crops. Wheat, cotton, rice, andsugarcane are the major field crops, whichconstitute 68 percent of the total cropped area,while mango, banana and chillies are the majorhorticultural crops. Among the horticulturalcrops, Sindh produces 73 percent bananas, 34percent mangoes, and 88 percent of thechillies. Of the total cropped area of 3.1 millionhectares in the year 2000-01, almost 50 percentof the area was under food crops (wheat, rice,maize, sorghum, millet and barley), 25 percentunder cash crops (cotton, sugarcane). Theremaining area was under fodder (9.1 percent),pulses (4.7 percent), condiments (4.1 percent),oilseeds (3.8 percent), fruits (3.3 percent), andvegetables (1.4 percent).

Crop yields in Sindh are generally low and haveremained either stagnant or have increased at

slow rates. The low availability of quality seed ofcrop varieties continues to be of major concernfor agriculture. The use of crop inputs such asfertilizer and pesticides has increasedconsiderably without a corresponding increasein yield levels. The supply of substandard andadulterated pesticides and fertilizers is alsoaffecting crop yields and the cost of production.There is increasing degradation of the resourcebase such as soil, and current farming practicesdo not adequately address the issue ofsustainability of crop production systems. Thisis in addition to the high cost of inputs andunstable market prices.

The farming community is, for the most part,below the poverty line and this is a majorconstraint to the development of agriculture.Farm mechanization is limited to the use oftractors and wheat threshers. Laser levellersare a recent introduction with considerablepotential for enhancing yield levels and betteruse of irrigation water. Current water scarcityrelated problems demand the adoption ofefficient water management practices.

THE AGRO-ECOLOGICALZONES

The irrigated areas of the province have beendivided into three major agro-ecological zones,two of which are further divided into sub-zones,as given below.

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Zone A Rice/wheat zone of the right bankof river Indus (upper Sindh)

Sub-zone A1 Main areaSub-zone A2 Piedmont soil

region

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Zone B Cotton/wheat zone of the leftbank of river Indus

Sub-zone B1 Guddu Barragecommand area

Sub-zone B2 Sukkur Barrage command area

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Zone C Rice/wheat/sugarcane zone oflower Sindh

1. Agriculture Statistics, 2000-01

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In addition to the above three zones, there aretwo more zones in Sindh. Map 5.1 shows theAgro-ecological Zones in Sindh. Zone D is adesert area in the east of Sindh, and Zone E isthe western hilly zone. Main agricultural activityis, therefore, concentrated in the Zones A, Band C. Table 5.1 shows the main features of theagro-ecological zones including climate, watersupply, soil and cropping pattern.

Zone A: It covers the districts of Shikarpur,Jacobabad, Larkana and the northern taluka ofDadu district. There are six main canals (threefrom the Guddu Barrage and three from theSukkur Barrage) feeding zone A, three of whichare perennial.

Zone A1 covers the districts of Shikarpur,Larkana and the northern taluka (Mehar and

Source: Sindh Agriculture Extension and Adaptive Research Report (1994)a. Mean annual rainfall, millimetresb. Months experiencing more than 20 mmc. Annual evaporation, millimetresd. Winter: Mean minimum monthly temperature, January/December

Summer: Mean maximum monthly temperature, May/Junee. Altitude, meters above sea level (masl)f. Thousands of hectaresg. Tube well potential for drainage/Rabi water sourceh. Percentage of area with severe upper soil salinity problemsi. High value crops: vegetables, orchards

Table 5.1: Main Features of Agro-Ecological Zones including Water Supply, Soil Salinity andCropping Pattern

Factor Agro-ecological zones of Sindh

A1 A2 B1 B2 C

Climate

Rainfall mma 75-100 75-100 75-120 120-230 180-250

Rain periodb Jul-Aug Jul-Aug Jul-Aug Jun-Sep Jun-Sep

Evaporationc 150-175 150-175 175-200 200-225 150-225

Humidity Low Low Low Low-High High

Winter temp0Cd 8 8 8 12 10

Summer temp0C 44 44 42 40 30

Altitude masle 40-60 40-60 40-60 5-40 0-5

Water Supply

Perennial percent 55 percent 65 percent 0 percent 100 percent 50 percent

Irrigation areaf 5,000 2,100 3,100 16,600 3,800

Tube well potentialg High Low High High Low

Soils

Main types Calcareous Piedmont Calcareous Calcareous Saline silt loam clays silt loam silt loam silt/clay

Salinityh 10 percent 5 percent 15 percent 15-50 percent 70 percent

Cropping

Main Kharif Rice Sorghum Cotton Cotton Rice

Other Kharif Rice Fallow Rice High value Sugarcane

Sugarcane Vegetable

Main Rabi Wheat Wheat Wheat Wheat Sugarcane

Other Rabi Mixed Fodder Fallow Fodder Fodder Fodder

Vegetable Vegetable

Khairpur Nathan Shah) of Dadu district. Dadu,Rice and NWC Canals of Sukkur Barrageirrigate the zone. Rice is the major crop of thezone, followed by wheat while Rabi pulses andoilseeds are dubari crops. Wheat, sugarcane,oilseeds, Rabi and Kharif vegetables as well asguava and dates are also grown under thecommand of Dadu and NWC perennial canals.

Zone A2 covers the region of Jacobabad andLarkana districts. Here the soil is richer in claysthan the soil of Zone A1, potentially more fertileand less prone to salinity problems. However, itis slower to drain. The major crop of the zone isrice in Kharif, followed by wheat, Rabi pulsesand oilseeds as dubari crops.

Zone B: Zone B covers the left bank of riverIndus in the districts of Ghotki, Sukkur,Khairpur, Naushero Feroze, Sanghar,Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Tharparkar. Theentire zone is Indus flood plain. Saline soils areencountered throughout the zone. The problemtends to be more acute in the east of Ghotkiand Sukkur Districts (Zone B1) and in easternSanghar and Mirpurkhas District (Zone B2).Cotton and sugarcane are the main Kharifcrops of Zone B1. Oilseeds like sesame and

sunflower are also being cultivated increasinglyin the zone due to water scarcity. Wheat,oilseeds and vegetables follow the Kharifcrops.

Zone B2 lies in the command area of fourperennial canals (Rohri, Khairpur Feeder Eastand West and Nara) of the Sukkur barragecovering the districts Khairpur, NausheroFeroze, Sanghar, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, andTharparkar. The major Kharif crops of the zoneare cotton and sugarcane, followed by sesame,sunflower, and groundnuts. In the Rabi season,wheat is the major crop followed by rapeseed,mustard, sugarcane, Rabi vegetables, andonion. The zone also produces mango, banana,chiku, papaya, citrus, and jujube.

Zone C: Zone C consists of lower Sindh, and isfed from the Kotri Barrage. It includes the IndusDelta and covers the districts of Thatta, Karachi,Badin (except taluka Matli and northern parts ofTando Bago) and taluka Tando Mohammad Khanof District Hyderabad. Zone C is more saline thanany other area in Sindh. Salinity and waterloggingare most severe in this zone where drainage isdifficult due to an absence of a gradient.

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Abundance in a valuable cash crop: Cotton

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The climate of Zone C is mild and humid, and ithas the highest rainfall in Sindh (180 to 250 mmper year). However, its agricultural production islow. The main crops are rice and sugarcane inKharif, which are followed by wheat andvegetables in perennial areas. The mainvegetables grown here are onion and tomatoand the zone also produces banana, chiku,papaya and coconut. Palm oil plantation hasbeen successfully introduced in this zone.

Types of Soil

The Soil Survey of Pakistan has groupedapproximately 80 percent Sindh soils into eightland capability classes according to theiragriculture potential and the relative suitability forsustained agriculture use (see Table 5.2). Soilsplaced in Class I are generally very responsive tohigh inputs of water, improved seed, fertilizers,labour and also to improved managementtechniques, while lower classes havecorrespondingly decreasing response to inputsand management. Approximately 10 percent ofclassified land in Sindh falls under Class I and 20

percent under Class II and 15 percent underClass III. Arable area constitutes approximately50 percent of the classified area in Sindh.

Salinity is one of the major soil problemsconfronting agriculture in Sindh. The problem isgenerally considered to be the result of the canalirrigation system, but countrywide soil surveyshave established that most of the existingsaline/saline sodic soils are not related to thepresent irrigation system, and their formation isthe consequence of the gradual redistribution ofsalts already present in the soil. However, thecanal irrigation system has certainly aggravatedthe situation. This kind of salinity, identified assecondary salinity, is relatively temporary and canbe easily eliminated by adopting appropriatemeasures. Major factors responsible for thedevelopment of secondary salinity include lateralseepage of water from the canal system and itsevaporation from the surface of adjoining soils, therising of water table due to excessive percolationfrom the canal system and over-irrigationpractices, inadequate availability of water, andaccumulation of salts in low lying areas throughrunoff from surrounding saline soils.

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Source: 1. Pakistan's Soil Resources: Pakistan National Conservation Strategy Sector Paper 4, 1993: data updated by Soil Survey of Pakistan in 2000

2. National Fertilizer Development Centre, Islamabad (2002)

Table 5.2: Extent of Land Capability Classes in the Surveyed Area of Sindh

ClassPakistan(' 000 ha)

Agricultural PotentialSindh

('000 ha)

Sindh asPercentof Total

I 5,362.2 Very high for general agriculture; moderate for rice

II 7,009.1 High for general agriculture; low to moderate for rice

III 4,888.0 Moderate for general agriculture

IV 3,623.8 Low for general cropping

V 171.1 High for forestry or range development

VI 1,270.3 Moderate for forestry or range development

VII 18,647.4 Low for forestry or range development

VIII 32,561.1 No potential for any type of economic agriculture

Unclassified 1,835.3

Total 75,368.3

1,097.8

2,326.9

1,496.9

742.5

—

8.3

2,226.3

3,188.7

364.9

11,452.3

20.5

33.2

30.6

20.5

—

0.7

11.9

9.8

19.9

15.2

The extent of soils affected by various types ofsalinity and sodicity in Sindh and otherprovinces is given in Table 5.3.

Waterlogging is another major problem inSindh. An area is considered waterlogged whenthe underground water table is at a depth of fivefeet from the soil surface or reaches the rootzone of the crops. Data shows that 3.8 millionhectares of agricultural land in Sindh had awater table within 0 to 5 feet and 5.2 million

hectares at 0 to 10 feet in October 19992. Thesituation has changed over the past three yearsdue to severe drought in the country andshortages in the supply of irrigation water.

The presence of adequate quantities ofessential nutrients and organic matter are thebasic components of fertile soil. Of themacronutrients, Sindh soils, like most soils ofPakistan, are invariably deficient in nitrogen.Phosphorus is deficient in 80 to 90 percent soils

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2. Agricultural Statistics of Pakistan, 2000-01

Source: 1. Pakistan's Soil Resources: Pakistan National Conservation Strategy Sector Paper 4, 1993: data updated by Soil Survey ofPakistan in 2000

2. National Fertilizer Development Centre, Islamabad (2002)

Table 5.3: Soils Affected by Various Types of Salinity and Sodicity in Sindh and OtherProvinces (‘000 ha)

Type of SoilProvince

PakistanSindh asPercentof Total Sindh Punjab

NWFPFATA

Balochistan

Soil with surface/patchysalinity and sodicityIrrigated Unirrigated

118.1 472.4 5.2 3.0 598.7 19.7

0 0 0 0 0 0

Gypsiferous saline/saline-sodic soilsIrrigatedUnirrigated

743.4 152.1 0 76.6 972.1 76.5

536.3 124.5 0 160.1 820.9 65.3

Porous saline-sodic soilsIrrigatedUnirrigated

257.0 790.8 25.7 29.4 1102.9 23.3

150.1 501.0 7.8 364.0 1022.9 14.7

Dense saline-sodic soilsIrrigatedUnirrigated

32.5 96.7 0.9 0 130.1 25.0

379.7 530.0 8.9 714.8 1633.4 23.2

Total 2217.1 2667.5 48.5 1347.9 6281.0 35.3

Source: Pakistan's Soil Resources: Pakistan National Conservation Strategy Sector Paper 4, 1993: data updated by Soil Survey of Pakistanin 2000

Table 5.4: The Irrigation Water Withdrawal during 1998 - 2002 (MAF)

Year Kharif Rabi Total

1998 32.537 15.624 48.161

1999 32.523 12.251 44.774

2000 26.574 8.503 35.077

2001 25.682 7.100 32.782

2002 22.110 9.982 32.092

despite the use of phosphate fertilizers for thelast four decades. Potassium levels aregenerally adequate in the majority (60 percent)of soils whereas some, 40 percent of soils, aremarginal to deficient in supply of potassium.Levels of organic matter are very low (<1.0percent), and frequently less than 0.5 percent ina majority (75 to 80 percent) of soils. Organicmatter levels continue to decline due to limitedor no recycling of organic residues, intensivecropping activities with heavy reliance onchemical fertilizers as well as limited use oforganic manures of plant or animal origin.

In Sindh, soil conditions and agronomicpractices inducing micronutrient deficiencies inplants include: alkaline soil pH; soilcalcareousness; low soil organic matter;micronutrient mining with intensive cropping;use of micronutrient-free N, P and K fertilizers;decreased use of organic manures; removal ofplant residues from soil almost after every crop;cultivation of marginal/light textured soils; andelectro-chemical changes in flooded rice.

Irrigation SystemsThe irrigation system in Sindh has beendescribed in detail (see Chapter 4: Water

Resources). The yearly average wateravailability in the province, computed from thedata from year 1970 to 1997, is 45 million acrefeet (MAF). Water withdrawal data for the lastfive years (Table 5.4), shows decreasingavailability of water. This is the result of droughtconditions prevalent over the past three years,whereby the availability was short by 35 to 50percent. Area planted with various Kharif andRabi crops in the year 2001-2002, and theirwater requirements are given in Tables 1 and 2in Appendix 5.1: Water Requirement forCrops in Sindh. The total water requirement isbased on the estimated area under Kharif andRabi crops as reported by Sindh AgricultureExtension and the previouslydetermined/approved data for each crop inacre-inches. This requirement works out to17.401 MAF water at the field during Kharif, and8.532 MAF during Rabi.

Crop Varieties

Table 5.5 gives details regarding the productionof major crops in Sindh.

A number of crop varieties have beendeveloped by agricultural research institutes

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