Pakistan has a vast naturalresource base that coversvariousecological and climaticzones, hence possessing thecapabilityforproducingawidevariety of food commodities.Pakistanhastwocropseasons:"Kharif" is the first sowingseasonstartingfromApril-JuneandharvestedduringOctober-December.Someof themajorcrops in this season includerice, sugarcane, cotton, andmaize. "Rabi", the secondsowing season, begins fromOctober-December andharvested in April-May. Majorcrops include wheat, gram,lentil,tobacco,mustardetc.

Agriculture sector contributesapproximately 20% to nationalGDPand is the largestemployerabsorbing 42% of the country’stotal labor force. Punjab claimssignificant share of theagriculture sector in Pakistan. Itgrows 83% of national cotton,80% of wheat, 97% of finearomatic rice,63%ofsugarcane,95%ofpotatoand78%ofmaize.Amongst fruits, ithas66%shareof national mango production,95%ofcitrus and82%ofguava.The agriculture sector (includinglivestock) contributes 27% toPunjab’s GDP and employs 40%of its labor force. It also adds tonational export earnings due tomanufactured goods derivedfrom agriculture such as textilesetc.

LargestEmployer

Agriculture–BackboneoftheEconomy

AgricultureGovernmentofPunjab

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Thegovernmentisfocusingonimprovingagricultural productivity throughsystematic application of better inputsand advance technology to enhanceprofitabilityofthe farmingcommunity. Itisalsolayinggreatemphasisonimprovingcompetitiveness and ensuring theenvironmental sustainability ofagriculture. It aims at achieving asustained agriculture growth rate of fourto fivepercentperannumtosupport theoverallGDPgrowthtrajectory.Toprotectthe farmers from the whims ofunprecedentedclimatechangeandglobalslowdown in commodity prices, thegovernment has announced the FarmersPackage in September 2015, which is amega relief package of Rs 341 billion forsmall farmers including direct cashsupport and provision of soft agriculture

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loans. It is aimed at introducingprogressiveagricultureon scientific lines,reducing production cost of crops,consequentlycausingthesmallfarmerstoprosper. The Government of Punjab hasrolled out an interactive informationdissemination system through use ofmodern technologies for innovativeagriculture, which is expected to reachcompletion by June 2018. The projectallows agricultural information officersand farmers to communicate with oneanother through laptops and androidphonesthusleadingtogreaterefficiency.Numerous such projects are underwaythat ensure adoption of state of the artagriculture technologies and practicesthat will pave way for further development and growth of the sector.

ICTBasedInnovations

Besides immense contributionof the sector to the economicgrowth, it alsopossesseshugeinvestment potential thatenhances theattractivenessofthe sector. Of the total 16.5million hectares of cultivableland in Punjab, about 1.7million hectares are stillavailable for corporatefarming. Government ofPunjab considers corporatefarming as an important areaas it helps to transfer moderntechnology, raisesoutput,cutsinput costs, improves foodsecurity, preventsfragmentation of cultivablelandandcreatesmuch-neededbackwardandforwardlinkagesbetween agricultureproduction, processing andmarketing. Foreign investorsare allowed to hold 100%equityinthecaseofCorporateAgricultural Farming (CAF)(Investment Policy, 2013).Another major area forinvestment is that of 30%horticulturalproducethatgoestowasteeveryyear,andcanbeconverted into economic gainby investing in agribusinessvaluechainindustries.