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From valuewalk, By Pakonomy,

Pakistan’s agriculture sector has been labeled the country’s backbone so many times, that you would think survival was impossible without it. It’s true though, crop production has not only been an input resource for the industrial sector in Pakistan but it has also been one of the major exports, bringing in substantial foreign exchange. Rice, cotton and other agriculture dependent products such as textile and leather etc, play a crucial role in the economic growth of the country.  The land in this country is a valuable natural asset, bestowing its people with a wide variety of food commodities and other supplies. Some favorable aspects of the agriculture sector are as follows:

–          27% of geographical area is being cultivated

–          80% of the area under cultivation is also irrigated

–          8.9 million hectares of cultivable area exists as waste land

–          Contributes 23% of GDP

–          44% of labor force employed in agriculture sector

Pakistan’s irrigation system is one of the most comprehensive in the world. Compare it with Russia, and 3 times more acres of land are being irrigated in Pakistan!  Only in 2008, was a list released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAOSTAT) of the United Nations. It states the rank of Pakistan in the production of some products in the world which is quite impressive.

• 3^rd  – Apricot
• 2^nd — Buffalo Milk
• 3^rd  – Chickpea
• 4^th  – Cotton
• 5^th — Dates
• 6^th  – Mango
• 4^th  – Onion
• 11^th  – Oranges
• 11^th  – Rice
• 5^th – Sugarcane
• 10^th — Wheat

With so much potential in the land, it’s unfortunate that the agriculture hasn’t been spared a crisis. Shortage of fertilizer is threatening farmers now. We are well aware of the importance of fertilizer and it’s ridiculous that a margin would exist for fertilizer shortage in an agricultural country! Recently, the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet (ECC) was briefed by the ministry of industries revealing the following statistics regarding urea:

–          3.4 million tons urea demand

–          700, 000 tons of import requirement

–          200, 000 tons of import allowed so far

So, what went wrong all of a sudden that farmers suddenly found themselves losing their land’s fertility? The gas shortage is the culprit. The fertilizer manufacturing industries have been cut short of the gas supply, therefore leaving the farmers at a dearth. The committee was also made aware of the fact that despite ensuring gas supply to certain plants with subsidy, they did not reduce their prices accordingly. While the government figures out a strategy to combat this crisis which has been looming over the fields for some time now, it is the farmer who has to undergo the worst suffering. Needless to say, Pakistan is lucky to be in possession of such fertile land. Mother Nature has done all she could, it’s up to the inhabitants to make use of the potential.

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Tags: arable land, Asia, fertilizer, Food, irrigation, land, Natural Gas, pakistan, soft commodities