Agriculture

In Pakistan










By:
Umer Shakeel
Grade: 5 Peace
History of Agriculture in
Subcontinent


Some historians claim that agriculture in sub-continent
began by 8000 BC as a result of early cultivation of plants
like Wheat and Barley, and domestication of animals,
mostly Sheep and Goats.
Irrigation was developed in the Indus Valley
Civilization by around 4500 BC. The prosperity of the
Indus civilization increased as a result of this, which
eventually led to more settlements making use
of drainage and sewers. Irrigation and water storage
systems were developed by the Indus Valley Civilization,
including artificial reservoirs located at Girnar from
about 3000 BC, and an early canal irrigation system from
2600 BC.
Archeological evidence of animal-drawn ploughs date
back to 2500 BC in the Indus Valley Civilization.
All of these activities led to a well developed and fast
growing agriculture in later centuries.

Crops

Most of the land in Pakistan is arid i.e. crops dont grow
well on such land. Punjab is the best area for growing
crops because it has fertile soil and a good irrigation
system. It makes up a quarter of the total area of
Pakistan, but it has over 57% of the cultivated land in the
country
Almost 70% of the cultivated land in Pakistan is used to
grow food crops. In Pakistan kharif crops are grown in
the summer. They include cotton, rice, maize and
millets. Rabi crops are grown in the winter which include
wheat, gram, masoor, rapeseed and mustard.




An important role is played by livestock in Pakistans
agriculture. Even though most farmers are now using
tractors to plough the fields, bullocks are still used for
the same reason. There are over five million farms in
Pakistan but only 4.7 bullocks! This means that every
farm does not have a pair of bullocks.
According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan, the
livestock sector contributes in about half of the value
added in the agricultural sector, amounting to alm0st 11
per cent of Pakistan's GDP, which is more than the crops
sector. The daily newspaper Jang reports the national
herd consisting of 24.2 million cattle, 26.3 million
buffaloes, 24.9 million sheep, 56.7 million goats and 0.8
million camels.


Food Crops:
Crops that can be used as food for humans
are called food crops e.g. wheat, corn, fruits and
vegetables.
.

Cash crops:
Crops which are grown for direct sale or for
profit are called cash crops e.g. cotton, tobacco, sugar
cane, sugar beet.



The following table shows the import and export crops of
Pakistan:


Exports Imports
Rice Vegetable oil
Cotton Wheat
Fruits (especially
mangoes and
oranges)
Pulses
Vegetables Consumer foods






Presented to:
Maam Shumaila Asif