ISLAMABAD: The country’s agriculture sector has missed the growth target of 3.5 percent set for the outgoing financial year and remained at 1.55 percent, according to the Economic Survey 2022-23.

The survey noted that during 2022-23, the production growth of wheat (5.4 percent), sugarcane (2.8 percent), and maize (6.9 percent) compensated for the negative growth of cotton (41.0 percent) and rice (21.5 percent). The overall decline of important crops during this year is 3.20 percent, it says.

It says that the contribution of important crops recorded at 18.23 percent to value addition in the agriculture sector and 4.18 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP). Other crops contributed 14.49 percent in value addition to the agriculture sector and 3.32 percent in GDP.

During 2022-23, the cotton crop recorded a 0.3 percent contribution to GDP and 1.4 percent to the value added in agriculture.

During 2022-23, the cotton area sown increased to 2.14 million hectares against 1.937 million hectares last year, revealing growth of 10.7 percent. However, due to floods that swept away the entire crops in Sindh and Balochistan, its production remained low at 4.910 million bales against last year’s 8.329 million bales, showing a dip of 41.0 percent.

Sugarcane during 2022-23, was cultivated on 1.319 million hectares showing an increase of 4.7 percent compared to 1.260 million hectares last year. Its production increased by 2.8 percent to 91.111 million tons over last year (88.651 million tons).

Rice contributes 1.9 percent of value added in agriculture and 0.4 per cent in GDP. During 2022-23, the crop was cultivated on 2.976 million hectares, recording a decline of 15.9 percent over 3.537 million hectares last year. Its production declined from 9.323 million tons in 2021-22 to 7.322 million tons in2022-23, registering a negative growth of 21.5 percent.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023