8/7/2019 Pakistan Economic Problems as Concern With Agriculture
and Manufacturing
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Pakistan Economic problems as concern with Agriculture and
manufacturing :
AGRICULTURE:Introduction
Pakistan is an agricultural land
Total geographical area of Pakistan (Sq.kms) is 796,096
(Punjab-205,344; Sindh-140,914; NWFP-
74,521; Balochistan-347,190, FATA-27,220 and Islamabad Federal
Area-906), corresponding to
80.0 mha, and (20.60 mha; 14.10 mha; 10.20 mha; 34.67 mha of the
four provinces of Pakistan,
respectively). Most of the areas in the Punjab and Sindh
provinces are plain land, formed by the
River Indus. Pakistan is known for its excellent network of
canals and rich agricultural lands,
with three major reservoirs-Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma, 23
barrages, 12 huge interlink
canals, 62,800 kilometers canals length, 106 kilometers water
courses and 107,000 nos. of
channels. The Northern Regions of Pakistan is famous for its
high mountain ranges, the
Himalayas and Karakorams. The highest peak in the area is Godwin
Austin (K-2), which is
8610.60 meters above the sea level. This is the second highest
peak in the world. The southwestern part of the country is a
plateau with an average height of about 609.6 meters above
the sea level. The Province of NWFP comprises of both hilly
areas and fertile valleys.
Balochistan, the biggest province of Pakistan is mainly an arid
region with promise of mineral
wealth. The hot summer months extended from April to June and
the winter months are
effective from December to February of the year. The climate in
some areas of the country
varies from -0[degrees]C to over 50[degrees]C.
The Agriculture sector continues to play a central role in
Pakistans economy. It is the second
largest sector, accounting for over 21 percent of GDP, and
remains by far the largest employer,
absorbing 45 percent of the countrys total labor force. Nearly
62 percent of the countrys
population resides in rural areas, and is directly or indirectly
linked with agriculture for their
livelihood. The Agriculture sectors strong linkages with the
rest of the economy are not fully
captured in the statistics. While on the one hand, the sector is
a primary supplier of raw
materials to downstream industry, contributing substantially to
Pakistans exports, on the
other, it is a large market for industrial products such as
fertilizer, pesticides, tractors and
agricultural implements.
Problems in Agriculture
Despite its critical importance to growth, exports, incomes, and
food security, the Agriculture
sector has been suffering from secular decline (Table 2.1).
Growth in the sector, particularly in
the crop sub- sector, has been falling for the past three
decades. Productivity remains low, with
yield gaps rising (Table 2.2). Critical investments in new
seeds, farming technology and
techniques, and the water infrastructure are not being made.
Without major new investments
in Agriculture, it is unclear how prepared Pakistan would be to
tackle emerging challenges such
as declining water availability, and climate change.
