ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s agriculture sector experienced significant growth in the fiscal year 2024, achieving an overall increase of 6.25 percent, according to the Economic Survey 2023-2024.
The production of key crops surged by 16.82 percent, driven by substantial increases in cotton, rice, and wheat outputs. Cotton production soared by 108.2 percent, reaching 10.22 million bales compared to 4.91 million bales the previous year. Rice production increased by 34.8 percent, totaling 9.87 million tonnes, up from 7.32 million tonnes, while wheat production rose by 11.6 percent, amounting to 31.44 million tonnes from 28.16 million tonnes.
However, the production of sugarcane and maize declined by 0.4 percent and 10.4 percent, respectively, partly due to crop switching. Sugarcane production stood at 87.64 million tonnes, slightly down from 87.98 million tonnes, and maize production was 9.85 million tonnes, compared to 10.99 million tonnes.
Other crops demonstrated a growth of 0.90 percent, recovering from a contraction of 0.92 percent last year. This growth was bolstered by increases in fruits (8.40 percent), vegetables (5.77 percent), and pulses (1.45 percent).
Cotton ginning, which comprises 1.34 percent of the agriculture sector and 0.32 percent of GDP, saw a substantial growth of 47.23 percent, supported by the high growth in cotton production.
Key Highlights from the Economic Survey 2023-24:
Livestock: Representing 60.84 percent of the agriculture sector and 14.63 percent of GDP, livestock grew by 3.89 percent, compared to 3.70 percent last year.
Forestry: Contributing 2.33 percent to agriculture, forestry grew by 3.05 percent, a decrease from last year’s 16.63 percent growth.
Fishing: With a sectoral share of 1.30 percent, fishing recorded a growth of 0.81 percent, up from 0.60 percent last year.
Key Indicators:
- Â Â Overall Agriculture Growth: 6.25 percent
- Â Â Crop Sector Growth: 11.03 percent
- Â Â Livestock Growth: 3.89 percent
- Â Â Forestry Growth: 3.05 percent
- Â Â Agriculture Credit: Increased by 33.8 percent
- Â Â Fertilizer Off-Take: 3,957 thousand tonnes
- Â Â Certified Seeds Availability: 642.5 thousand tonnes
