CSS Academy
← CSS 2023 Pakistan Affairs Paper

Pakistan Affairs · CSS 2023 · Question 3

Having the largest irrigation system in the world, the land of the sub-continent served as the main food supply basket for the British power for more than a century, but now Pakistan has to import food commodities. Discuss in detail the causes of this agricultural decline.

By CSP Qasim Farooq

Understanding the topic

Resolve the apparent contradiction: Pakistan has a huge irrigation system and a large farm sector, yet imports important food and agricultural commodities. Organise the answer by structural causes rather than by a loose list.

Outline

  1. Introduction: irrigation reach is not the same as farm productivity
  2. Land structure and insecure farming arrangements
  3. Water, soil and climate pressures
  4. Seed, research and technology gaps
  5. Market, credit and policy failures
  6. Population and changing food demand
  7. Reform direction and conclusion

Introduction

Pakistan inherited one of the world's largest connected irrigation systems and agriculture still supports a large share of employment. Yet the country regularly imports edible oil, pulses, cotton and, in some years, wheat and sugar. The problem is therefore not the disappearance of farming, but its low productivity and weak ability to meet a fast-changing national demand.

Large canals cannot compensate for wasted water, poor seed, weak research, fragmented markets and unstable policy. Climate change and rapid population growth now expose these older weaknesses more sharply. Agricultural decline is best understood as a failure to modernise the whole food system, from land and water to storage and trade.

Land and farm structure

Fragmentation and concentration both reduce efficiency

Inheritance divides many farms into small scattered plots that are difficult to mechanise. At the same time, large estates may rely on insecure tenants who have little reason to invest in soil, irrigation or orchards.

Weak land records and tenancy protection

Contested titles limit formal credit and slow consolidation. Tenants and women who work the land often lack ownership, training and access to finance.

Limited agricultural taxation

Weak collection of agricultural income tax reduces provincial resources for research, extension and rural services. It also makes the wider tax system appear unfair.

Water, soil and climate

Inefficient irrigation

Canal losses, poorly maintained watercourses and flood irrigation waste scarce supplies. Tail-end farmers often receive less reliable water than influential users near the head of a channel.

Groundwater and soil degradation

Unregulated tube wells lower water tables in some areas, while brackish pumping, waterlogging and salinity damage land elsewhere. Surface water and groundwater are not managed as one system.

Distorted crop choices

Sugarcane and rice are often grown in water-stressed areas because prices and political influence make them attractive. Water carries little price signal, so private crop choices create public scarcity.

Climate shocks

Heat, drought, irregular monsoons and floods reduce yields and damage roads, storage and livestock. The 2022 floods showed that food security depends on infrastructure and household purchasing power as well as production.

Seed, research and technology

Certified seed does not meet full national demand. Farmers therefore use retained or unverified seed with lower yield and disease resistance. Research institutes, universities and extension departments often work separately, and useful advice reaches farmers slowly.

Mechanisation and digital services are also unequal. Large farmers can buy machinery, while smallholders need rental markets, shared services and accessible finance.

Markets, credit and policy

Uncertain wheat procurement, sudden import decisions and export restrictions send conflicting signals. Farmers may invest based on one policy and sell under another.

Weak warehouses, cold chains, rural roads and grading create large losses in fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat. Small farmers often sell immediately after harvest to repay informal credit, allowing middlemen to capture much of the value.

Formal credit and insurance reach too few smallholders. Agricultural policy is also divided among water, food, research, environment and trade departments that do not follow one stable strategy.

Population and changing demand

The 2023 census recorded about 241.5 million people. Even rising output may not improve per-person availability if productivity grows more slowly than population. Urban diets are also shifting toward edible oil, milk, meat and processed food, while policy remains centred on a few traditional crops.

Reform direction

Pakistan should manage water according to availability, improve watercourses, regulate groundwater and align crops with local conditions. Seed regulation, climate-resilient varieties, soil testing, veterinary services and extension must receive sustained investment.

Modern storage, cold chains, grading and agro-processing can reduce waste and raise farmer income. Land records, tenant protection, women's access, warehouse-receipt finance and crop insurance should widen opportunity. Most importantly, import, export and procurement rules need to remain predictable.

Conclusion

Pakistan's agricultural decline is a decline in productivity, resilience and food-system performance. The irrigation network is a major asset, but it cannot overcome poor water management, degraded soil, weak seed, fragmented research and unstable markets. Recovery requires better output from each unit of land and water and a value chain that rewards farmers for producing what the country actually needs.

References

Continue your Pakistan Affairs preparation