Agriculture is the mainstay of the Province of Sindh. With its varying climatic conditions and very scanty rainfall, but good soil, man has been practicing agriculture in Sindh since time immemorial, helped by the Indus, one of he longest rivers in the world.
Details of the major crops and yields for 1993-4 in Sukkur district are listed below:
AREA, PRODUCTION, AND YIELD OF MAJOR CROPS
| Group | Area in Hectares | Production in M Ton | Yield Per Hectare in Kgs |
| Rice | 8265 | 17293 | 4043 |
| Wheat | 132829 | 277029 | 2086 |
| Juwar (Great Millet) | 13613 | 8350 | 613 |
| Bajra (Spiked Millet) | 744 | 391 | 526 |
| Maize | 522 | 270 | 517 |
| Grain | 10909 | 8955 | 775 |
| Barley | 312 | 148 | 474 |
| Rapeseed & Mustard | 9112 | 5584 | 613 |
| Sesame | 38 | 15 | 1250 |
| Sugarcane | 12139 | 537541 | 44.28 |
| Cotton | 110172 | 311748 | 481 |
| Tobacco | 2 | 3 | 1500 |
LAND USE AND CROPPING PATTERNS
Most of the agricultural land in Sukkur District is defined as arable irrigated land, with small patches of unused land under rough grazing. Prior to 1972 irrigation water was supplied only in the Kharif season; thereafter, however, the canals of the Guddu Barrage command area were made perennial. This led to increasing salinity and water logging, to the extent that now some 70 per cent of cultivable land is affected.
The land reforms of 1972 included the fixing of sixteen acres as the minimum subsistence holding in Sindh. Table 4.5 shows how those sixteen acres could yield a basic living wage. Cotton, wheat, mustard, sugar cane, and bar seem are the main crops grown on the left bank of the Indus, while the bar seem. Cotton, sugar cane, and oilseed are deemed industrial crops, the rest commercial.
Horticulture plays a relatively small role in the area. The main crops of the Kharif season are mango, date palm, and banana, while those of Rabi are oranges and lemons. The average yield per acre of date palm is seventy-nine Maunds (one Maund= 40 Kgs) of dry dates.
The Agro-industries which arise from the predominant crops include cotton-ginning, biscuit making, oilseed processing, date processing, and molasses and sugar making by traditional and modern methods.
CROPPING INTENSITY
The overall cropping intensity in the country is 137 per cent. It varies from 159 per cent in farms of less than five acres, to 140 per cent in farms of five to under twenty five acres, and 123 per cent in farms of twenty-five acres and above in size. The intensity of cropping is around 135 per cent on owner-operated and owner-cum-tenant-operated farms, but it rises to 141 per cent on tenant-operated farms.
The intensity of cropping in District Sukkur is show in Table 4.7. The figures are taken from the Pakistan Census, Agriculture, 1990 –Province Report- Sindh prepared by the Economic Affairs and Statistics Division, Agricultural Census Organization (pp.121, 127,132,137,143).
THE AGRICULTURAL PASSBOOK SYSTEM
This was introduced in 1973 by the Federal Government to make it easier for farmers to obtain agricultural credit from lending institutions. The farmer is required to buy a set of two passbooks (one red, one green) from the Post Office and have the particular concerning his land endorsed by the Revenue Department, after which he is eligible for a loan of up to 60 per cent of the value of his land. The Revenue Department retains the red book and updates it according to information supplied by the lender (generally a bank); the green book is retained by the bank as a guarantee for the loan.
By 1994, 9,861 Passbooks had been issued, out of a total eligibility of 25,079. Despite a mark-up rate of 14 per cent there had been no defaulting.
AREA, PRODUCTION, AND YIELD OF VEGETABLES
| GROUP | AREA IN HECTARES | PRODUCTION IN M TON | YIELD PER HECTARE IN KG |
| FIELD VETCH | 28 | 70 | 2500 |
| LADY FINGER | 496 | 3006 | 6060 |
| TINDA | 190 | 1324 | 6968 |
| BRINJAL | 267 | 2008 | 7521 |
| BITTER GOURD | 37 | 168 | 4541 |
| BOTTLE GOURD | 20 | 118 | 5900 |
| LUFFA | 28 | 203 | 7250 |
| TURNIPS | 281 | 3800 | 13523 |
| ONION | 1934 | 22682 | 11728 |
| CARROT | 40 | 490 | 12250 |
| TOMATO | 119 | 834 | 7008 |
| CAULIFLOWER | 14 | 138 | 9857 |
| CABBAGE | 197 | 2493 | 12655 |
| POTATO | 59 | 535 | 9068 |
| SWEET POTATO | 07 | 25 | 3571 |
| RADISH | 94 | 753 | 8011 |
| PEAS | 09 | 34 | 3778 |
| GARDEN PEAS | 08 | 17 | 2125 |
| FENUGREEK | 18 | 32 | 1778 |
| OTHER VEGETABLES RABI | 381 | 1037 | 2722 |
| KHARIF | 29 | 219 | 7552 |
AREA, PRODUCTION, AND YIELD OF PULSES
| GROUP | AREA IN HECTARES | PRODUCTION IN M TON | YIELD PER HECTARE IN KGS |
| MASH (KHARIF) | 302 | 128 | 424 |
| MASOOR (LENTIL) | 953 | 475 | 498 |
| MATTER (CHICKENVETCH) | 1521 | 750 | 493 |
| MUNG (GREEN GRAM) | 303 | 128 | 422 |
| OTHER RABI | 356 | 169 | 475 |
AREA PRODUCTION, AND YIELD OF CONDIMENTS
| GROUP | AREA IN HECTARES | PRODUCTION IN M TON | YIELD PER HECTARE IN KGS |
| Chillies Rabi | 374 | 647 | 1730 |
| Chillies | 607 | 1005 | 1656 |
| Ginger | 24 | 850 | 354 |
| Garlic | 725 | 4418 | 6094 |
| Fennel | 2 | 1 | 500 |
| Coriander | 332 | 139 | 419 |
| Spearmint | 9 | 5 | 556 |
| Turmeric | 4 | 2 | 500 |
| Others | 39 | 20 | 513 |
AREA, PRODUCTION, AND YIELD OF FRUITS FOR 1993-4
| Group | Area in Hectares | Production in M.Tons | Yield per Hectares in Kgs |
| Banana | 67 | 234 | 3453 |
| Date palm | 2778 | 12632 | 4547 |
| Guava | 10 | New Plantation | 4547 |
| Mango | 413 | 2958 | 7228 |
| Orange | 28 | 356 | 12714 |
| Lemon | 70 | 228 | 3257 |
| Grape | 8 | 34 | 4250 |
| Mossambi | 9 | 30 | 3333 |
| Kino | 7 | 27 | 2857 |
| Ber Berry | 6 | 12 | 2000 |
| Other Fruits (Rabi) | 35 | 180 | 1543 |
Autumn crops-Kharif
Saryoon (Rice)
Jowar (Great Millet)
Bajri (Bulrush Millet)
Makki (Maiz)
Rahan (Cowpeas)
Tir (Sesaum)
Kapah (Cotton)
Kamand (Sugarcane)
Gidro (Melons)
Spring crops-Rabi
Kanak (Wheat)
Jau (Barley)
Channa (Gram)
Matar (Peas)
Toria (Rape)
Gogroo (Turnip)
Fruit
Date
Banana
Lemon
Mango
Agriculture calendar
The agriculture year commences on the day of the first full Moon in Chet. That day and the eight following days (naurata) are lucky days.
The months of the years are known by the following names:
| CHET | Middle of March to Middle of April |
| VESAKH | Middle of April to Middle of May |
| JETH | Middle of May to Middle of June |
| AKHAR | Middle of June to Middle of July |
| SAWAN | Middle of July to Middle of August |
| BADO | Middle of August to Middle of Sept |
| ASSU | Middle of September to Middle of Oct |
| KATI | Middle of October to Middle of Nov. |
| NAHRI | Middle of November to Middle of Dec. |
| POH | Middle of December to Middle of Jan. |
| MANGH | Middle of January to Middle of February |
| PHAGUN | Middle of February to Middle of March |
