QUETTA: The cropped area in Balochistan has witnessed a significant increase as it reaching to 9.4 million acres in 2024, which was recorded at 3.6 million acres during the year 2010.
According to the 7th Agricultural Census of Pakistan 2024, 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 cotton crop share also witnessed an increasing trend from 1.0 per cent to 9.0 per cent, whereas the sugarcane crop share remained 0.2 per cent. The fodder’s share remained stable at 3.0 per cent during the period under review, while other crops’ share showed a decline from 35.0 per cent in 2010 to 24.8 per cent in 2024 in the province.
Meanwhile, in Punjab province cropped area expanded from 45.0 million acres in 2010 to 49.7 million acres in 2024. The wheat continued to be the leading share in cropped area, maintaining a stable share around 41.5 per cent, rice share of cultivation slightly decreased from 14.0 per cent to 13.4 per cent in 2024, while maize showed a notable increase from 1.0 per cent to 4.3 per cent in the region.
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According to the data, the total cropped area in Sindh Province also grew slightly from 12.4 million acres to 13.1 million acres in 2024. Wheat cultivation increased from 38.0 per cent to 40.8 per cent, whereas the rice continued to be a major crop share in the province, increasing from 20.0 per cent to 21.5 per cent.
