PAkistan Agriculture Scientist Forum (PAS)

Agriculture is playing a crucial role in the economy of Pakistan as its second largest sector. It is contributing around 22 percent of the national GDP and employs about half of the country’s labor force through its various sub-sectors including crops, livestock, poultry, fisheries and forestry. It is estimated that approximately 65 percent of Pakistani population living in the rural areas directly or indirectly relies upon agriculture for their livelihood. The share of agriculture in foreign exchange earnings is around 60 percent. It is also worth-mentioning that a large number of Pakistan’s politicians and legislators come from rural backgrounds and occupy influential ruling positions in almost every government. Thus, the agriculture sector is deeply implicated in Pakistan’s socio-economic and political scenario.