This paper highlights the critical role of the dairy sector in Pakistan's agricultural economy. Despite its significant potential, the sector faces numerous challenges that hinder its growth. Low milk productivity, substantial post-harvest losses, and limited access to modern technologies and veterinary services are among the primary obstacles. To address these issues, a comprehensive strategy is proposed. This strategy involves improving animal genetics through the introduction of high-yielding breeds and advanced breeding techniques. Additionally, strengthening the cold chain infrastructure is essential to minimize postharvest losses and ensure the quality and safety of dairy products. Encouraging the production of value-added dairy products, such as cheese, yogurt, and butter, can diversify the sector and increase its profitability.
_________________________This study highlights the significant potential of Pakistan's marine fisheries sector, despite the numerous challenges hindering its full growth. While the country boasts a vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and substantial marine resources, issues such as low-value products, inadequate infrastructure, and a fragmented policy framework limit its development. This study further reveals that the Marine Fisheries Department (MFD) and the Fisheries Development Board (FDB), tasked with sector development, face funding limitations, human resource constraints, and overlapping responsibilities. To fully tap into its potential, Pakistan needs to prioritize infrastructure upgrades, invest in research and development, and build capacity within the sector. By addressing these challenges and adopting a holistic approach, Pakistan can strengthen its fisheries sector, enhance food security, and drive economic growth.
_________________________This study examines Pakistan's prospects in the expanding global halal meat market, driven by a growing Muslim population and increasing global acceptance of halal products. Despite its strong Muslim demographic and established halal meat industry, Pakistan struggles to meet its export potential due to infrastructure deficiencies, outdated slaughterhouses, inadequate cold chain and traceability systems, and certification processes not aligned with international standards. Comparisons with leading exporters like India and Brazil highlight gaps in infrastructure, certification, and product diversification. To address these issues, this paper proposes modernizing infrastructure, strengthening certification systems, fostering product diversification, and enhancing collaboration among stakeholders. Government initiatives, such as the National Priority Sectors Export Strategy and the Halal Certification Authority, are also reviewed for their role in supporting the sector’s development. By implementing these strategies and learning from international best practices, Pakistan can enhance its position in the global halal meat market, driving economic growth and contributing to national food security.
_________________________Fertilizers, derived from natural or synthetic sources, are critical for augmenting soil fertility and enhancing crop productivity by supplying essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In Pakistan, the fertilizer sector faces multiple challenges, including outdated policies, limited regulation, monopolistic practices, and insufficient coordination between federal and provincial governments. These issues, coupled with fluctuating gas supplies and rising fertilizer costs, hinder the sector's contribution to agricultural growth and economic development. To address these challenges, reforms are essential, including updating the Fertilizer Policy 2001, promoting cost-effective imports, deregulating the sector, and providing targeted subsidies to small farmers. Additionally, adopting advanced fertilization technologies, enhancing soil testing, and improving market transparency through digital solutions can ensure sustainable fertilizer use. Given agriculture's 22% contribution to GDP and its vulnerability to climatic shocks, strengthening the fertilizer sector is crucial for ensuring food security and economic stability in Pakistan.
_________________________Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) holds significant agricultural potential but faces challenges that hinder its crop productivity and food security, including poor seed quality, lack of investment, mismanagement, and climate change. Low-quality seeds, in particular, contribute to suboptimal crop yields, with the unavailability of quality seeds decreasing agricultural output by 15%-20%. This research identifies the root causes behind the widespread presence of low-quality seeds and proposes actionable solutions to enhance production. By addressing issues in seed certification, management, and infrastructure, KP could significantly improve its agricultural productivity, especially in wheat production. Recommendations include devolving seed certification, enhancing seed storage capacity, promoting private sector involvement, and educating farmers through outreach programs. The study highlights the importance of a comprehensive action plan to secure food supplies, promote climate-resilient seeds, and ultimately drive economic prosperity for KP.
_________________________Pakistan's agricultural sector, which consumes 91.6% of the country’s annual water resources, faces significant challenges in water efficiency. Despite its contributions to GDP, the sector's water productivity lags behind international standards due to traditional irrigation practices and low adoption of modern techniques. This research evaluates strategies for reducing water wastage over the next decade by adopting High-Efficiency Irrigation Systems (HEIS) and modern conservation technologies. A situational analysis highlights the inefficiencies of current irrigation methods, the financial and technological barriers faced by farmers, and the inadequacies of government support. Lessons from international best practices are analyzed, offering insights into effective policy frameworks and community-driven initiatives. Recommendations focus on enhancing governance, economic policies, and adaptive capacities, alongside shifting cropping patterns to optimize water use. The study underscores the urgency of aligning legislative priorities with sustainable agricultural water management to mitigate future resource constraints.
_________________________Pakistan’s fruit sector is a shining example of how fast it has grown and the opportunities that hold in the realm of agriculture and its ability to overcome global competition. Pakistan takes pride in diverse fruit types that are widely spread over its vast fertile lands, making it an important state player in the world fruit business. This preface is a preamble for comprehensive analysis of public policies aimed at nurturing and harnessing full potential of Pakistan’s fruit industry. Having increased significantly over the last decade, citrus and mangoes have been leading exporters of Pakistani fruits. This growth has been underscored by robust government interventions like “National Programme for Enhancing Command Area of Barani Areas of Pakistan” and ‘Pakistan Fruits and Vegetables Export Strategy 2023- 2027’. Such measures together with partnerships and pro-active moves have boosted Pakistan’s capacity of fruit production to new heights thus contributing meaningfully to national economies as well as global trade. In spite of natural calamities as well as market fluctuation challenges, resilience and hope are shown by Pakistan’s exports of fruits. The government’s dedication to promoting fruit farming plus enabling regulations combined with a series.
_________________________Food security is a critical concern for Pakistan, as it is intricately linked to national security and the well-being of its citizens. Despite being one of the top producers of essential crops, Pakistan faces significant food insecurity challenges due to inefficiencies in agriculture, damaged infrastructure, and inadequate policy implementation. This paper explores the current state of food security in Pakistan, identifying key determinants such as food availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability. It examines the systemic issues within the agricultural sector, including outdated technologies, lack of training, and insufficient linkages between producers and agricultural industries. The paper further investigates the impacts of urbanization, climate change, and external shocks on food production and distribution. Drawing on these challenges, the study proposes practical policy recommendations, including the integration of national programs, market regulation through technology, and targeted subsidies to improve food security. Emphasizing the need for coherent federalprovincial policies, the research highlights how modern technology and climate-smart agricultural practices can revolutionize the sector and ensure long-term food security for Pakistan.
_________________________Agricultural credit plays a crucial role in improving the productivity and sustainability of the agriculture sector, particularly in developing countries like Pakistan, where agriculture is a primary source of employment and income. However, Pakistan's agricultural sector faces significant inefficiencies, including low productivity and limited access to formal credit, particularly for small farmers. These issues contribute to poverty, food insecurity, and slow economic growth. This paper highlights the challenges faced by the agricultural credit system in Pakistan, such as the dominance of exploitative informal credit sources, socio-religious barriers, and inefficiencies in the microfinance sector. It discusses the implications of these challenges on poverty reduction, agricultural productivity, and food security, while proposing policy recommendations to improve access to formal credit, promote agricultural literacy, replicate successful international practices, and introduce better monitoring and supervision mechanisms. Additionally, the paper emphasizes the importance of addressing gaps in microfinance and crop insurance policies, advocating for a more inclusive and client-friendly approach to agricultural financing.