97% farmers own less than 12.5 hectares of land

The latest agricultural count has revealed that Pakistan’s 97% farmers own less than 12.5 hectares of land, and the size of a farm has also shrunk, as the Minister of Planning Ahsan Iqbal says is a matter of concern because of the shrinking scale of the economy.

There were only 16,958 landlords in Pakistan who owned more than 100 hectares of land and held 6.2% of the total agricultural land, according to the 7th census that the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics was completed after a gap of 15 years. The average land possession of these landlords was 215 hectares per year. Person.

The 7th national agricultural and livestock count has provided some rare insights about the most informal sector in the economy, especially trends in the use of water, cultivation of crops, soil holdings and livestock penetration in different provinces.

Iqbal officially launched the results of the 7th agricultural counting 2024, which, he said, was a landmark in Pakistan’s statistical history covering agriculture, pets and agricultural machinery in a report.

The details showed that 97% of the country’s total agricultural society owns less than 12.5 hectares of land and suggest that they fall into the low middle -income groups. Such small land holdings do not generate enough resources to save money, and these poor farmers live crop for crop.

In 2010, 89% farmers had less than 12.5 hectares of land. A major reason was the division of hereditary land and sold the properties to accommodate some larger expenses, according to people who have made the census.

There were 26% farmers who owned even less than one hectare of land, a ratio that was only 15% in 2010. About 35% of total farmers who owned less than 2.5 hectares of land. In nutshells, 61% farmers have less than 2.5 hectares of land, which is not sufficient to ensure decent earnings for these poor people due to outdated agricultural techniques and low yields.

About 19% farmers had less than five hectares of land, which is also too small to generate enough resources for people who mostly live in villages with fewer facilities. Another tenth of farmers owned less than 7.5 hectares of land, and there were hardly 7% farmers who actually owned 12.5 hectares of land.

The average size of the farm is reduced from 6.4 to only 5.1 hectares, which is a matter of concern, Ahsan Iqbal said while talking at the launch ceremony. The planning minister said that such small sizes reduce the extent of the economy and minimize the prospect of the company’s agriculture.

But he said that the results of the census were generally encouraging and would also contribute positively to the country’s gross domestic product due to the possibility of actually measuring the results instead of relying on outdated studies.

Iqbal said the conclusions of the census would help with better planning to lift the small farmers in the country.

According to the census, there was a significant increase in the cultivated area that rose to 52.8 million compared to 42.6 million at the time of the last census.

In general, agriculture is still a key sector in Pakistan’s economy that contributes significantly to GDP. About the livelihood of 40 million people is directly linked to agriculture and 37.4% of the workforce employed in the sector.

The census showed that there were about 20 million agricultural households and 98.5% were male heads.

The survey stated that by 2024 Pakistan had about 11.7 million total farms that were significantly higher than 8.3 million in 2010. Most farms became owner-driven-CA. 10.4 million compared to 6.74 million in the 2010-which indicated a strong shift against agricultural ownership.

Owner-Cum-Tenant farms rejected only 550,000 and only tenants of tenants also dropped significantly to 770,000, showing a sharp reduction in rental-based agriculture.

Across provinces, Punjab had the highest number of farms of 5.1 million, but these were 217,000 less than compared to 15 years ago. One possible cause of the reduction of farm numbers in Punjab was rapid urbanization in the province, Ahsan Iqbal said.

The fungal growth in housing communities can be seen in Punjab, and many of these are not properly planned or approved by the land authorities.

KP has 4.2 million farms, Sindh 1.8 million and Balochistan 630,000, with the majority in each province being owner -operated farms. Even in Islamabad, almost all of the 16,589 farms were owned.

Along with an increase in the total number of farms, the total yard area also increased, which increased from approx. 52.9 million Acres in 2010 to 59.3 million Acres in 2024.

Similarly, the total cultivated area has increased from approx. 42.6 million Acres in 2010 to 52.8 million Acres in 2024. On average, each farm fell in 2024 approx. 5.1 hectares in size, down from 6.4 hectares in 2010. The average cultivated land per year. Farm also fell from 5.2 hectares in 2010 to 4.5 acres in 2024, reflecting the same tendency for average farm size.

By 2024, Pakistan’s total irrigated area is 45.9 million Acres out of a total of 14.4 million acres were irrigated by channels compared to 12.3 million Acres in 2010, according to the census.

A slight decrease in combined irrigation methods, such as channels, pipe wells, pumps, reduced to 13.5 million Acres was observed by 2024. Although areas of KP and Balochistan are irrigated by the channel, other sources are also used. Interestingly, traditional methods like Rod Kohi and Karez are still functional in Balochistan, according to the census.

Unriggered (rainfall) Agriculture experienced a sharp decline to 4.9 million Acres by 2024, from 8.4 million in 2010, reflecting a shift against irrigated agriculture nationwide.

Cropped area

Pakistan’s total cropped area increased significantly from 68 million Acres in 2010 to 82.8 million acre in the 2024 census, showing a growing confidence in the agricultural sector. The cropped area is more than the 52.8 million total cultivated land because a piece of land can be used several times a year depending on the crop cycle.

Among all major crops remained the proportion of wheat, cropped area, the dominant crop part in the country, with its contribution increased slightly from 42% to 43.3% in the total Pakistan. The pruning area of rice has seen a slight decrease from 14% to 12.9%, while maize increased from 4% to 5.1%.

The cotton share dropped sharply from 14% to 7.9%. Sugarcane in cropped areas has also dropped from 4% to 3.3%. The fodder crop proportion increased slightly from 9% to 9.5%.

The most important statistician PBS Dr. Naeem Uz Zafar explained that livestock has the largest proportion of 63.6% in the total agricultural sector, followed by 32.6% share of crops.

Pets

By 2024, Pakistan’s total livestock population reached 251.3 million, which was significantly higher than the last census in 2006. The largest statistician said the livestock sector showed an annual growth rate of 3.1% by 2024.

Punjab has the largest proportion with 104 million animals leading in cattle, buffaloes, horses and donkeys in Pakistan. Balochistan province has 47.9 million total animals out of the 18.8 million that were sheep, which is in line with the harsh conditions as a lack of water.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa reported a total of 48.7 million animal population with 22.5 million highest number of goats.