Global Rice News

**Agriculture Sector in Pakistan Witnesses Robust Growth: Economic Survey**

The agriculture sector in Pakistan experienced a remarkable growth rate of 6.25 percent during the fiscal year 2023-24, a significant improvement compared to the 2.27 percent growth recorded in the previous year. This positive development was highlighted in the recently launched Economic Survey of Pakistan 2023-24.

The growth in the agriculture sector can be attributed to the healthy expansion of important crops. Particularly, there was a substantial increase of 16.82 percent in the production of major crops. Wheat production witnessed a record growth of 11.6 percent, reaching a staggering 31.4 million tonnes, compared to 28.2 million tonnes produced last year. Similarly, cotton production, which had suffered severe damage from floods and rains in the previous year, saw a remarkable surge in production, totaling 10.2 million bales compared to 4.9 million bales last year, indicating a growth of 108.2 percent.

The production of rice also witnessed a significant uptick, reaching 9.9 million tonnes from 7.3 million tonnes in the previous year, marking a growth rate of 34.8 percent. However, sugarcane and maize production experienced slight declines of 0.4 percent and 10.4 percent, respectively. Sugarcane production was recorded at 87.6 million tonnes, slightly lower than last year’s 88.0 million tonnes, while maize production reached 9.8 million tonnes, down from 11.0 million tonnes last year.

Despite the decrease in sugarcane and maize production, the substantial growth in wheat, cotton, and rice production effectively compensated for these declines. Furthermore, other crops witnessed a positive growth rate of 0.90 percent, a significant improvement compared to the decline of -0.92 percent recorded last year. Notably, the production of fruits increased by 8.40 percent, vegetables by 5.77 percent, and pulses by 1.45 percent. Additionally, cotton ginning, which contributes 0.32 percent to GDP and 1.34 percent to agricultural GDP, saw an impressive growth rate of 47.23 percent due to the remarkable increase in cotton production.

The livestock sector, accounting for 60.84 percent of the agricultural sector and 14.63 percent of GDP, witnessed a growth rate of 3.89 percent during the fiscal year 2023-24, a slight improvement compared to the 3.70 percent growth rate recorded in the previous year. The forestry sector, which contributes 2.33 percent to agricultural value addition and 0.56 percent to GDP, experienced a growth rate of 3.05 percent, although significantly lower than the remarkable 16.63 percent growth rate of the previous year. Similarly, the fishing sector, representing 1.30 percent of agricultural value addition and 0.31 percent of GDP, witnessed a growth rate of 0.81 percent, up from 0.35 percent in the previous year.

Water availability during the Kharif season of 2023 reached 61.9 million acre-feet (MAF), a substantial increase from the 43.3 MAF recorded in the Kharif season of 2022, effectively meeting the water requirements for Kharif crops. For the Rabi season of 2023-24, water availability was recorded at 30.6 MAF, indicating a 4.1 percent increase compared to the previous year.

An increase in fertilizer production was also observed during the fiscal year 2024 (July-March), with a growth rate of 17.3 percent, reaching 3.253 million tonnes compared to 2.773 million tonnes in the same period of FY 2023. Moreover, fertilizer imports increased by 23.7 percent, totaling 524 thousand tonnes. Consequently, the availability of fertilizer increased by 18.1 percent, reaching 3.776 million tonnes. Additionally, the total off-take of fertilizer nutrients saw an 18.7 percent increase, reaching 3.957 million tonnes. This surge in off-take can be attributed to the unusually low off-take recorded in the previous year due to flooding.

The remarkable growth in the agriculture sector of Pakistan signifies a positive trend for the country’s overall economic development. It highlights the resilience and potential of the agricultural industry, contributing to the nation’s prosperity.

**Source:** [Daily Times](https://dailytimes.com.pk)