ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s economy is under threat as rapid population growth, division of land among heirs, and unchecked fragmentation have dramatically shrunk farm sizes, cutting large plots into smaller, less viable units that can no longer support farming or sustain rural livelihoods.
According to the first digital Agricultural Census conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the average farm size has dropped from 6.4 acres in 2010 to just 5.1 acres in 2024.
More than 64% of all farms in Pakistan are now under 5 acres. Around 5 million farms are smaller than 2.5 acres, and 1.29 million are below even 1 acre. These smallholders — the backbone of rural Pakistan — struggle to afford mechanisation, modern irrigation, or livestock scale-ups.
Agriculture contributes 23.5% of Pakistan’s GDP and employs around 37.4% of the workforce. The census warns the sector is losing ground due to shrinking land, poor technology adoption, and outdated systems.
On the other hand, there are few who control around 6% of the country’s agricultural land. Just 33,000 farms are 100 acres or larger and only 17,000 landowners control 3.65 million acres.
This is the root cause of many challenges. Big landowners often get better access to loans, government support, and new technology. In contrast, most small farmers, with barely 2 or 3 acres — cannot afford modern tools or irrigation.
This creates a wide gap between the rich and poor in rural areas, making it harder for small farmers to grow enough or improve their income. The imbalance also slows down land reforms and reduces the chance for fair development across the farming community. This concentration also limits access to subsidies, credit, and technology. Large landowners often benefit disproportionately from government schemes, while smallholders with limited land remain stuck in low-productivity farming. This imbalance also slows land reforms, fuels rural inequality, and limits inclusive growth across the sector.
Addressing the launch of the report, Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan’s per-acre yield is far behind global standards. He pointed out that cotton production, once a key export, has dropped from 15 million bales to just 5 million. "We may not be able to achieve our $1 trillion economy ambition if agriculture continues to be ignored, " he warned.
Major Findings
Punjab holds the largest number of farms, — 5.05 million, covering over 31 million acres. KP follows with 4.17 million farms, Balochistan with 633,000, and Sindh with 1.82 million farms. Islamabad has 17,000 registered farms.
A major concern, mentioned in the report, is the fall in rain-fed (Barani) agriculture. The area under rain-fed cultivation has dropped from 8.4 million acres to 4.9 million in just 14 years. This trend signals growing dependence on irrigation systems. Only 0.3% of farms use drip irrigation and 0.6% use sprinklers. Only 19% of farms use tractors, while under 2% use modern machines like harvesters or planters. Most farmers still rely on animal or manual labour, limiting productivity.
Livestock numbers are high, but poorly distributed. Punjab leads with nearly 27 million cows and over 29 million buffaloes. Nationally, there are over 55.8 million cows, 47.7 million buffaloes, 95.8 million goats, and 44.5 million sheep. However, most rural households own very few animals, restricting milk and meat output.
Provincial Snapshot: Where the Land Lies
Farm Size Distribution
Technology Use: Still Far Behind
Despite national and provincial subsidies, only 19% of farms use tractors, and less than 2% use modern implements like combine harvesters, planters, or mechanical seed drills.
Irrigation: Shift Away from Rain-fed Land
The census shows a sharp decline in Barani (rain-fed) land, which dropped from 8.4 million acres in 2010 to 4.9 million acres in 2024 — nearly halved in 14 years.
Livestock: High Numbers, Low Scale
Pakistan’s rural economy relies heavily on livestock, but most households own only a few animals. This limits milk and meat productivity.
Livestock by Province
- Punjab: 26.9M cows, 29.5M buffaloes
- Sindh: 11.2M cows, 13.4M buffaloes
- KP: 13.5M cows, 3.9M buffaloes
- Balochistan: 4.07M cows, 664K buffaloes
- Islamabad: 1M+ cows, 120K buffaloes
Data Gaps: Census vs. Economic Survey
The report notes discrepancies between the census and the Economic Survey 2023–24. Officials attribute this to more accurate, door-to-door enumeration used in the digital census compared to administrative records used in previous surveys.
By Atif Khan
.jpg)
0 Comments