Cash Crops of Pakistan

Pakistan is an agricultural country and 70% of her population lives on agriculture. Our farmers produce two types of crops.

1. Food crops 
2. Non-food crops.

These crops not only fill the local needs of food and provide raw material to our industry but also a large part of it is exported abroad to earn foreign exchange. The most important cash crops are cotton, rice, sugar cane, tobacco and fruits, etc.

Cotton is the main cash crop of Pakistan. It is grown in Sindh and Punjab. In Sindh, cotton is grown in the districts of Tharparkar and Sanghar while in Punjab, districts of Multan, Sahiwal and Rahim Yar Khan are well known for cotton production.

Rice is our best cash crop. It is grown in Punjab. Sindh, and N.W.F.P. in Punjab and Sindh, it is grown on 150 million hectares. The one variety of Rice called “Basmati” is very popular and is in great demand everywhere. Its contribution to foreign exchange earning is estimated at 22%.

Sugarcane is also a supplier of raw material for our sugar industry. Its average yield is 50 ten per hectare. Almost every cultivator has some portion of his land reserved for this crop. It is grown in almost every province.

Tobacco is one of the important cash crops of Pakistan. The soil of Pakistan is very suitable for this crop. The tobacco industry provides jobs to a large number of workers in the field at the time of crop production and also in tobacco factories. Tobacco of a common quality is grown in the Punjab and Sind. The areas in and around Peshawar are rich in the production of Virginia tobacco, which is the world-famous quality of tobacco.

Fruits like mangoes, apples, grapes and oranges are also abroad, but it is the mangoes which top the list, Major markets are in the Middle East, Gulf countries, Singapore, Malaysia, London, Germany, and Sweden.

Seeds of mustard, sunflower and soya bean are grown as cash crops but the vegetable gene is mostly manufactured form the cottonseeds. Sunflowers are also becoming popular as cash crops.

We should make efforts to increase the production of the above crops so that unemployment can be controlled and the living standard of people may also be increased.