Agriculture sector in Pakistan and budget allocations

Add ARY News on Google AAResize So, according to the state-issued document, the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26, Pakistan’s agriculture sector grew 2.89 percent last financial year, nearly doubling last year’s sluggish 1.53 percent, yet this headline masks a deeper fragility. Beneath the modest rebound lies a sector still battered by climate shocks, water mismanagement, and policy volatility that no single season of decent rainfall can fix.

The crop sub-sector recovered from a 1.01 percent contraction to post 1.44 percent growth, while livestock—the quiet powerhouse—expanded 3.75 percent and now drives 62.4 percent of agricultural value addition. Sugarcane surged 6.2 percent to 89.45 million tonnes, fueled by higher yields and a 2.4 percent area expansion as farmers chased better returns. Wheat rose 4.3 percent to 29.61 million tonnes, coming within a whisker of its 29.7 million tonne target, supported by expanded sowing and post-flood soil moisture. Rice climbed 2.8 percent to 9.99 million tonnes despite 3.6 percent less land under cultivation, as yields jumped 6.6 percent on improved water availability.

But the gains were uneven. Cotton production slipped 0.5 percent to 7.05 million bales as farmers shifted land to more lucrative crops, while maize fell 2.7 percent to 8.79 million tonnes, hit by flood damage and a continuing yield decline. Pulses, vegetables, and fruits helped the “other crops” category grow 2.43 percent, but the overall picture is one of a sector running in place rather than sprinting ahead.