Azeem Ahmed Khan

Pakistan’s gram cultivation and production declined sharply in 2024-25, falling well below the federal targets, an official document obtained by Wealth Pakistan shows. According to the document, the crop was cultivated on 707,100 hectares during 2024-25, compared with 797,100 hectares in the previous year, showing a decrease of 11.3 percent. Similarly, production dropped from 209,000 tonnes in 2023-24 to 172,000 tonnes in 2024-25, marking a decline of 17.7 percent.

The average yield per hectare stood at 243.2 kilograms, down 7.2 percent compared with last year’s 262.2 kilograms. Gram is a leading Rabi pulse crop in Pakistan, with Punjab province accounting for over 70 percent of the country’s total production. The crop is mainly cultivated in the Thal region, which contributes approximately 80 percent of Punjab’s gram output. However, both production and area under cultivation in Punjab declined sharply during the year.

The document notes that the province’s cultivated area decreased by 13.4 percent, from 703,000 hectares to 609,000 hectares, while the production dropped 29 percent, from 138,000 tonnes to 98,000 tonnes. Punjab’s yield fell to 160.9 kilograms per hectare from 196.3 kilograms per hectare, representing a decline of 18 percent over the previous year.

Sindh, in contrast, recorded a slight increase in both area and production. The province’s cultivated area rose by 1.9 percent to 21,100 hectares, while production increased by 2 percent to 20,700 tonnes. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed a small contraction of 0.9 percent in area, from 22,300 hectares to 22,100 hectares, and production declined by 4.2 percent to 11,300 tonnes from 11,800 tonnes.

Balochistan, however, saw a moderate increase in both area and production. Its cultivated area expanded by 7.4 percent to 54,900 hectares from 51,100 hectares, while production rose 8 percent to 42,000 tonnes from 38,900 tonnes. The target fixed by the Federal Committee on Agriculture (FCA) for 2024-25 was not achieved, as both the cultivated area and production fell well short of expectations.

The national target for area under gram cultivation was 881,000 hectares, but the actual achievement stood at 707,100 hectares, showing a shortfall of 19.7 percent. Similarly, production was targeted at 419,400 tonnes, while the achieved output was only 172,000 tonnes, representing a massive shortfall of 59 percent. The overall yield target of 476 kilograms per hectare was also missed by a wide margin, with the actual yield at 243.2 kilograms per hectare, or 48.9 percent below the target.

Gram continues to be an important pulse crop in the Rabi season, contributing significantly to the pulse supply in domestic markets despite a decline in production and yield during 2024-25. Looking ahead, the FCA has proposed gram targets for 2025-6, setting the area under cultivation at 895,000 hectares with an estimated production of 442,900 tonnes.

The provincial breakdown of targets includes 789,000 hectares for Punjab, 22,000 hectares for Sindh, 30,000 hectares for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 54,000 hectares for Balochistan, the document said.

Credit: INP-WealthPk