Major Crops in Pakistan
Pakistan is an agricultural country and agriculture is considered the backbone of Pakistan’s economy. Pakistan’s principal natural resources are arable land and water. Agriculture accounts for about 18.9% of Pakistan’s GDP and employs about 42.3% of the labor force. The country’s major crops are:
- Wheat
- Cotton
- Rice
- Sugarcane
- Maize
About 25% of Pakistan’s total land area is under cultivation and is cropped multiple times. The country has 2% of the world’s arable land with 96% of it located in the Indus Plain. Pakistan is the world’s 10th largest producer of rice and 7th largest producer of wheat.
- 26.0 million tons of wheat (7th largest producer)
- 4.8 million tons of cotton (5th largest producer)
- 8.9 million tons of rice (10th largest producer)
- 46 million tons of sugarcane (5th largest global producer, behind Brazil, India, China & Thailand)
- 6.3 million tons of maize (20th largest producer)