The area of land used for farming in Balochistan has grown a lot, thanks to new incentives from the current government. In 2024, the cropped area reached 9.4 million acres, up from 3.6 million acres in 2010.
The wheat crop share remained dominant, with a share of 45.0 per cent to 48.3 per cent in 2024; however, the rice crop share shows a notable drop from 13.0 per cent to 8.2 per cent, and the maize share sharply declined from 2.0 per cent to 0.3 per cent.
The 7th Agricultural Census of Pakistan 2024 also showed that cotton farming increased significantly, rising from 1% to 9% of the cropped area. Sugarcane stayed about the same at 0.2%, and fodder crops remained steady at 3%. Other crops saw a decline, dropping from 35% in 2010 to 24.8% in 2024.
In comparison, Punjab’s cropped area grew from 45 million acres in 2010 to 49.7 million acres in 2024. Wheat stayed the largest crop at around 41.5%. Rice farming slightly decreased from 14% to 13.4%, while maize farming increased from 1% to 4.3%.
Sindh province also saw a small increase in farmed land, from 12.4 million acres to 13.1 million acres. Wheat cultivation rose from 38% to 40.8%, and rice remained an important crop, increasing from 20% to 21.5%.
