Major Crops in Pakistan

Wheat: (Rabi Crop)

Geographical Requirements Seeds (HYVs) Areas Cultivation Importance

Moderate rainfall. A little rain Maxipak, Punjab (Entire): It is Oct – Dec. seeds are sown Wheat is a staple food. Its demand is
before the harvest is very helpful Shahkhan 95 Jhang & Sialkot in the ground. First irrigation is increasing with increase in population. Its
& swells the grain and ensures a Wadnak 95, done one month after sowing by-products Chaff has many uses in rural
better yield. Sindh (Eastern, Central & West): and second a month before areas. Low grade by – products of flour
Temperature: 100C - 200C at the Hyderabad & Nawabshah harvesting. A lot of labor is mill are used as feed for livestock. Wheat,
time of growing and warm 250C - required for its manual when grown in surplus quantity is
300 C for ripening, 90-120 days for KPK (Central & Southern): harvesting. Chaff is separated exported to earn foreign exchange.
growth Swat & Peshawar. from the grain by threshing.
Irrigation bridges the rainfall gap.
It is also grown in Barani lands. Balochistan. It is Oct – Dec. seeds are sown
(Potwar and some areas of KPK) Jacobabad & Jafferabad in the ground at 15°C. It
Soil – Stiff loamy or clayey soil involves 13-32°C. Fall of
but land must be drained as wheat temperature to 8°C in Jan,
doesn’t grow well in stagnant while rainfall increases to
water. 34mm & 60mm in March.
Flat land Light showers from West Dep.
In April May temp. becomes
25-31°C & 37mm rain in April.

Rice: (Kharif Crop)

Geographical Requirements Seeds (HYVs) Areas Cultivation Importance

Cheap & Abundant Major or Irri Pak Punjab: Seeds are first sown in It is used with wheat as a major food
adequate machinery Basmati Super Sialkot, Gujranwala nurseries. When plant in product.
Rainfall : About 1270 min but over Irri 6 Rachna, nursery reaches the height of 8-
2000 mm. Sindh: 9 inches, it is transplanted into Rice is a major export of Pakistan.
No cold season Thatta & Larkana the ploughed and flooded field.
Temperature - 200C to 300C. Water is kept for growing until Rice husks are used for making cardboard
Warm dry period for harvesting. Balochistan: the rice is ripe. Field is drained or covering roofs of houses after mixing it
Flat Lands
Jafferabad before harvesting. Harvesting & with mud and water.
Soil: Loamy & clayey soil.
Threshing is done in Oct – Nov.
Impervious sub-soil base to prevent
water loss Western strip of Sindh (not
Karachi & but Badin) + Areas
under Kashmir (not lahore)
Cotton: King of Fibre (Kharif Crop)

Geographical Requirements Seeds (HYVs) Areas Cultivation Importance

Rainfall : About 1000 mm is best Nayyab 78 Punjab (UIP): Seeds are sown at a distance of It is used for making clothes, industrial
Irrigation bridges the gap (500 mm) B-557, Bahawalpur & Multan 30cm-45cm. One month later the fabrics, bed linen & furnishing fabrics
Rain at picking spoils the cotton bolls CIM-70 land is irrigated. Second irrigation
from which lint is extracted . Sindh (Eastern & Dadu): is down after further two months. It is used for exports.
Temperature - 250C to 350C. Nawabshah & Sanghar The land is dried before harvesting
Mild night temperatures are better for in Oct-Nov when the. plant has Cotton seeds (separated from bolls by
development of bolls. It is not grown in KPK and reached at a height 130-150 cm. ginning) are used to make animal feed.
For harvesting sunny days and dry Balochistan due to unfavorable After harvesting (picking cotton
weather is best. It is sensitive to frost climate there but recently Lasbela bolls), raw cotton is transported to Seeds also used to make oil
Soil: Medium Loam (in Balochistan) is being prepared ginning mill where cotton bales are
Flat land for cotton cultivation. prepared after separating cotton Leaf Curl virus is a major disease for cotton.
seeds from lint (fluffy mass of
fibres).

Sugar cane: (Kharif Crop)

Geographical Requirements Seeds (HYVs) Areas Cultivation Importance

Rainfall : Requires plenty 1520 mm of JN-88 Punjab: Sugarcane is not planted from seed It is used to make sugar. Brown sugar and
rain which is not available in many 1-3-Thatta – 10 Jhang &, Sialkot but by stalks buried underground. Gur. Brown sugar is further processed into
sugar-cane growing areas so Irrigation Stalks are produced from nursery white sugar.
bridges the rainfall gap Sindh: grown canes which were cut into
Temperature: 250C- 350C. Tolerant to Nawab Shah & Hyderabad pieces.30cm stalks are planted in Its by-produces are also of great commercial
frost for a short period. April – May. Distance is 30cm value.
Manure or fertilizers containing KPK: between the stalks, a good plant
Nitrogen, phosphorous and potash are Charsada, Swabi, Peshawar yield size is 6 to 7 feet. Crop can Molasses is used to make chemicals/ it is used
needed. be ratooned and harvested for for citric acid, cattle feed, baker’s yeast,
Soil: loamy, Clayey. Balochistan: 2 – 3 consecutive years. A ratoon synthetic rubber.
Flat land None is left when it is cut. It is
cut/harvested by manual labor due Bagasse is the fiber that is left behind once
Distribution: to thickness of its stem. the juice is extracted from sugar-cane. It is
East Central in KPK used to make paper, chipboard, animal feed. I
Eastern Strip & South of Sindh (+ It is taken to industries asap as it t is also used as a fuel in sugar mills to heat
Thatta) begins to loose sweet content. It's the Boilers which are used to produce steam
Eastern & Central strip of Punjab scrubbed with chalk to remove for generation of power/electricity.
(no Multan & Lahore) (+ Bhakkar smell & dirt. Heavy rollers extract
& Leiah) juice