By Nayab Farooq Awan

Pakistan’s agriculture sector grows modestly in FY2025-26. Wheat and sugarcane drive gains, while cotton and maize drag overall performance.

The agriculture sector expands by 2.9 percent, according to provisional estimates from the upcoming Economic Survey. Important crops grow only 0.6 percent, showing uneven performance across commodities.

Wheat production rises 4.3 percent to 29.6 million tons. Farmers increase wheat cultivation area by 4.4 percent, which supports the higher output.

Sugarcane delivers the strongest performance among major crops. Output climbs 6.2 percent to a record 89.4 million tons.

Rice also records steady growth. Production increases 2.8 percent year-on-year to 9.9 million tons.

However, other crops offset these gains. Maize production drops 2.7 percent despite stable cultivated area.

Cotton output declines 0.5 percent to about 7.05 million bales. Farmers also reduce cotton cultivation area by 1.5 percent, which highlights ongoing pressure on the crop.

Overall cultivated area falls 3.6 percent. Yet productivity improves in select crops, which limits the overall impact on output.

Chickpea production jumps 50.4 percent. Potato output rises 27.6 percent, while banana production increases 30.8 percent. Mango production also grows 11.6 percent. Turmeric and chilies post additional gains.

Livestock supports the sector further. It grows 3.8 percent and remains the largest contributor to agricultural value added.

Fisheries expand 1.7 percent during the year. Cotton ginning and other agricultural activities grow just 0.1 percent, which signals weak performance in that segment.

Nayab Farooq Awan

Published Date: June 3, 2026