ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s agriculture sector has missed its growth target for the outgoing fiscal year, expanding by just 0.56 percent against the projected two percent, according to the Economic Survey 2024-25 released on Monday.
The survey noted that during 2024-25, the dismal performance is largely attributed to a significant decline in the production of major crops, including wheat by 8.9 percent, cotton by 30.7 percent, sugarcane by 3.9 percent, Maize by 1.4 percent and Maize by 15.4 percent.
It further stated that the agriculture sector’s growth was largely supported by 4.72 percent growth in livestock, 1.42 percent expansion in the Fisheries and 3.03 percent growth in forestry.
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The important crops accounted for 17.82 percent of the value added in the agriculture sector and contributed 4.19 percent to the national gross domestic product (GDP). Meanwhile, other crops contributed 13.88 percent to agricultural value addition and 3.27 percent to GDP, it said.
During 2024-25 total estimated wheat production is 28.98 million tons, marking an 8.9 percent decline from the record-high harvest of 31.81 million tons in the outgoing year. The decline in production was due to reduction of 6.5 percent in the cultivated area, which decreased to 9.10 million hectares and high temperatures in the sowing season.
According to the economic survey, Pakistan’s cotton sector could not maintain its performance due to above-average rainfall during monsoon, late sowing, and reduced sowing area. The area under cotton cultivation declined to 2.04 million hectares from 2.4 million hectares in the previous year, depicting a contraction of 15.7 percent.
It said that production volumes dropped by 30.7 percent from 10.22 million bales to 7.08 million bales, depicting a reversal after recovery seen in the previous year.
During 2024-25, sugarcane cultivation in Pakistan covered 1.19 million hectares of land, depicting a 1.1 percent increase from previous year. Despite the slight expansion in the area, sugarcane production registered a decline of 3.88 percent, falling to 84.24 million tons, primarily due to reduced rainfall and high temperature.
It said that rice production also saw a decline despite an increase in area under cultivation. Area under rice cultivation expanded to 3.90 million hectares, reflecting a growth of 7.2 percent. Despite an increase in cultivated area, production volume experienced a decline of 1.38 percent, falling to 9.72 million tons, it said.
The survey noted that maize crop was cultivated at 1.44 million hectares. Production of maize is estimated at 8.24 million tones, marking a decline of 15.4 percent from the previous year’s 9.74 million tons. The decrease was primarily due to reduced sowing area.
It said that the area and production of other crops of Kharif and Rabi show mixed trends. During 2024-2025, bajra and gram production declined by 14.3 percent and 16.3 percent, respectively. Similarly, jowar and moong experienced production declines of 2.6 percent and 14.4 percent, mainly due to reductions in cultivated area. However, mash, onion and potato witnessed an increase of 4.7 percent, 15.9 percent and 11.5 percent, respectively, it said.
The survey noted that livestock sector posted 4.72 percent growth. The sector accounts for 63.6 percent of agriculture’s value addition and contributes 14.97 percent to GDP. The livestock sector accounts for approximately 2.9 percent of total exports, through the trade of meat, live animals, and animal-based products it said.
It said that cattle and buffalo populations reached 59.7 million and 47.7 million, respectively. Goat and sheep populations have also rose, as these small ruminants are well-suited to smallholder farmers and areas with limited water availability, it said.
The survey noted that Pakistan’s gross milk production remained 72.34 million tons, reflecting a 3.2 percent annual increase, driven by higher yields and increased livestock population. Buffalo milk remains the dominant contributor at 43.13 million tons, followed by cow milk at 27.08 million tons, it said.
According to the economic survey 2024-25 in the meat segment, total production remained 5.97 million tons, registering a growth of 2.7 percent over the last year. The increase was primarily attributed to poultry meat, which showed the strongest growth (9.4 percent), reaching 2.58 million tons, due to intensified production practices and rising consumer preference. Beef and mutton outputs are measured at 2.55 million tons and 0.84 million tons, respectively, with steady but slower growth rates.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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