Ahmed Khan Malik

The Sindh government has launched the long overdue agriculture-livestock census to assess the real potential of the sectors.

Agriculture and livestock are key pillars of the provincial economy, whose rural parts mainly rely on these sectors for livelihood.  In Sindh, agriculture contributes 24% of the provincial GDP and 70% of employment. The livestock and aquaculture sectors contribute 62.68% of the agriculture GDP (14.36% of national GDP). “Promoting the livestock and aquaculture sectors is essential for uplifting the lives of people, particularly in rural areas,” Munawar Ali Soomro, Additional Director of the Agriculture Department, told WealthPK. 

He said that the census exercise would help ensure greater value addition along the agri-food value chain to meet domestic and export market requirements.  Soomro said that this was not just a data collection exercise but a foundation for evidence-based decision-making that “will steer our agriculture sector towards sustainable growth.” He said that the country was adopting, for the first time, an integrated and fully digital approach, merging agricultural, livestock, and machinery censuses into a single and comprehensive operation.

Highlighting the census’s objectives, Soomro said it would provide critical insights into province’s agrarian structure, crop patterns, livestock population and mechanisation trends. “The use of advanced tools such as tablet-based data collection, GIS dashboards, and real-time monitoring ensures accuracy, reliability and timeliness,” he said.

He emphasised that the initiative was aligned with international best practices and the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) guidelines.

The agriculture department’s additional director highlighted the preparations for the census, including the extensive training of 1,695 enumerators and supervisors across 30 venues to ensure the quality of data collection. He said that Sindh played a vital role in Pakistan’s agricultural economy with its 8.2 million acres of cultivated land and major contributions to crops like cotton, rice, sugarcane and wheat.

Soomro believed that the census was a historic step towards modernising agricultural practices and addressing the challenges of food security, climate resilience and rural development. “Sindh’s agriculture sector is the backbone of the provincial economy, supporting 37% of the population. The insights gained from this exercise will empower policymakers to make informed decisions and drive sustainable progress,” he remarked. 

“The data we collect will have far-reaching impacts, shaping policies that uplift farmers, enhance productivity and strengthen food security,” he said, adding that the provincial government firmly believes in using technology to address the challenges faced by its agriculture sector. “This census is a critical step in achieving that vision,” he added. 

Soomro said that the province had a number of resource advantages, the principal ones being good soils for agriculture and grazing; available surface and underground water sources; 350km of coastline suitable for fishing and aquaculture; a climate that allows the production of a wide range of crops and their early harvest; and a hard-working labour force.

Credit: INP-WealthPk