An obvious comparative advantage of Mastung district is its geographical location. It is close to Quetta and three National Highways run through the district: to Karachi, to Iran and to northern Sindh and Punjab (via Jacobabad, Sukkur). To maximize the benefits of this location for the district as a whole, more attention should be given to the development of a network of shingle roads, connecting villages with each other and with the metalled roads.

The backbone of the economy in the district is the agriculture sector, especially the horticulture sub-sector. There is a trend away from subsistence crops toward high value cash crops, such as fruits, vegetables, onions and cumin. The most important constraints for further development of this sector are poor access to institutional credit, problems related to water management (a.o. a lowering water table), lack of co-ordination between the various institutions that provide services to the sector, irregularities in electricity supply and lack of reliable data.

Although district specific data on the livestock sector are not present (only combined figures for Kalat and Mastung districts are available), the impression exists that the sector has a certain growth potential. Constraints are the availability of water. Compared to other districts the density of livestock, in view of the available pasture, seems to be high. So expansion of the sector should be sought in more intensive production methods.

The government should adapt a policy aimed at exploiting the minerals in Mastung district to a greater extent than has happened until now. The activities in this sector are now largely confined to the mining of coal in the Degari area. Important issues that have to be addressed are the technology used, the marketing and the safety of the miners.

Industry is hardly present in the district. Any development should be based on locally available skills (embroidery as cottage industry could be an example) or locally available resources (as for instance processing of fruit).

Major environmental issues are the depletion of aquifer due to excessive use of groundwater, the degradation of rangelands, soil erosion and deforestation. Sand dunes should be stabilized to counter decertification.

The problems in the social sectors are more or less common to the whole of Balochistan. The coverage of the population with drinking water schemes is comparatively high. Cost recovery (paying of fees by consumers) should be substantially improved. The sanitary situation leaves much to be desired. There is a long way to go to achieve the "health for all" goal in the district. In particular for women access to health care is poor.

Drop-out rates in education are high, more so for girls than for boys. The gender imbalance in education is visible in the number of schools for boys and girls (at all levels), while the boys have a degree college and the possibilities for girls stop at intermediate college.

Mastung has a tribal and male dominated society. Most disputes are resolved by traditional means. Women do not play a major role nor have a social status of any importance in society. Prevailing values severely limit their involvement in public affairs. In contrast to this, their contribution to the economy, especially in agriculture, is substantial but not visible in official statistics.

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