Agriculturally Jaffarabad district is the most fertile district of Balochistan. A number of canals and sub-canals irrigate the area. The majority of the area in the district, known as "Command Area", is fed by canals. The major crops grown in this area are rice, wheat, pulses, oil seed and recently also cotton (as the result of extension policy). The horticulture sector entails the growing of mango, citrus and guava. Although the land seems very suitable for horticulture, there is not much interest shown by the landlords, so far, to change towards it. The orchards / number of mango trees have however grown during the last five years.

The total area of the district is 244,510 Ha., out of which 241,978 Ha., i.e. 98.9% is reported. Land not available for cultivation is 21,960 (9.0%). The area under forest is 400 Ha., which is only 0.2 % of the total area. The cultivable waste is 10,973 Ha. (4.5% of the land reported). The land available for cultivation is 85.5 percent of the total reported land. See also chapter 1.1.

The area is controlled by the "Zamindari" (landlord) culture. The landlords usually hold sizable areas. The size of land, owned by them, may be small in their own name, as it is divided among family members and tenants to protect themselves against land reforms. Nonetheless, their command over the land is undisputed. A major part of the land is cultivated by tenants. The tenants do not have their own choice to grow a crop. This is decided upon by the owner. There are two kind of tenants: seasonal and permanent tenants. The latter one is larger in size. Their role in agricultural matters is also larger. Tenants are supported by tillers. Tenants are either supervised by the landowner himself or by hisfamily members.

Area-wise, wheat, rice and pulses are the most important crops in the district. Production wise fodder, wheat and rice are the most important crops. Economically, rice represents 47% of the economic value, wheat 25% and fodder 9%. See annex for specification of the agricultural statistics.

The cropping pattern is different in the two major seasons Khariff and Rabi. The Kharif season starts on 15th May and ends on 30th September, whereas the Rabi season runs from 1 October till 31 March. During the Rabi season major crops are rice, wheat, fodder, vegetables, fruits, pulses and oil seeds.

Farmers in the canal fed area cultivate rice on the entire holdings during the Kharif season, although in principle they are encouraged to cultivate it on 25% of their land only. In the canal-tail portion millet, sorghum, pulses and oil seed are grown. Because of intensified agricultural extension, to address the problem of water logging due to the continuous rice cultivation, the cultivation of rice is reduced and replaced by cotton. The cultivation of cotton is expanding year by year, but there is no output yet for marketing and at present there are no facilities for industrial processing in the district. Sugarcane growing is possible too, but there is no market for this either.

For a detailed overview of total agricultural production and the yields per hectare see the table above and annex 6. The statistics cover the approximate average yield / total production of the crop items. The exact number is very difficult to know as agricultural statistics are collected on basis of sample surveys and this method still needs improvement.

The two principal cultivation patterns are the single crop and fallow system. The single crop system includes rice, wheat, pulse and fodder. In general one does not apply inter-cropping. The land is left fallow once in a while, but this system is not very dominant.

The farming system (agricultural / horticultural) is still largely traditional, but the use of machinery is growing. Ploughing and harvesting is done more mechanical than manual nowadays.

In general the land belongs to a landlord controlling the area. The landlord has a number of tenants who are supported by tillers. Some of the permanent tenants are consulted in decision making of production and farming, but in general the landlord decides what to grow. The largest crop market for the area is Jacobabad.

The major sources of irrigation in the district are the Pat Feeder, the Khirther and the Shahi canal. The Pat Feeder irrigation system was constructed as part of the Guddu Barrage project by WAPDA and came into operation in 1969. The canal was originally constructed at a capacity of 90 cumecs (3,178 cusecs) at its point of entry into Balochistan. It covers at present a cultivable area of about 185,500 hectares. Its length is 166 km.

The Khirther canal takes off from N.W. Canal approximately 50 km down the Sukkar barrage. It was originally constructed in 1932 with a capacity of 1,164 cusecs for irrigation of 130,510 hectares in Sindh and Balochistan. The Shahi comes from Sindh and ends up in Usta Mohammad sub-division.

For Jaffarabad only, the total area covered by the irrigation scheme is 238,350 hectares, while according to the Agricultural Statistics for the 1994 -1995 season actually 189,377 hectares have been cultivated.

Agricultural mechanization in Jaffarabad district is expanding. The number of tractors, threshers, combined and adjustable harvesters, seed- and fertilizer machines, etc. is growing. However, the number of tractors registered in the district is comparatively small. According to Agricultural Statistics, in Jaffarabad there is only one tractor on every 607 hectares under cultivation, while the average for all area under cultivation in Balochistan is one tractor per 151 hectares. The number of privately owned tractors in the district is around 1000 according to the Excise and Taxation Officer of Jaffarabad, although there are only 326 registered ones according to the Agricultural Statistics. According to the statistics, Jaffarabad district has the largest number of threshers in the province (201, of which 194 are privately owned). The people are turning to agricultural mechanization because of the saving of time, manpower and labour.

The major agricultural input required is fertilizer. There are a number of fertilizers of various kinds in use at district level: Urea, Dye Ammonium Phosphatic (D.A.P.), Potassic, S.O.P., S.S.P and N.P.K. of which Urea and D.A.P. are used most. They are bought from the Agriculture Department or private sector. The supply of fertilizer is organized through middle men in the private sector. The use of chemical fertilizer within the district is widespread: 9,586 tons in 1995. The canal covered area requires a large amount of fertilizer.

Besides fertilizer, the major input for the horticultural sector is root stock, which is available at expensive rates from Punjab and Sindh, and smudging (shelter provision and smoke message for young plants) in winter. It is widely used for citrus, guava and mango plants. However, the owners are reluctant to procure such inputs, because of the expenses.

Marketing is in the hands of private enterprise. The involvement of government in marketing is still minor, its role is growing however. The Agricultural Marketing Regulation Act 1991 is in function since June 1996. Its aim is to reduce the middle man's role and strive for fixed commodities' prices, but the system is not fully operating. The role of the middle man is influential because of the little commercial and marketing knowledge the producers have. They think it convenient to sell crops to middle men or take it to Jacobabad and Sukkar, the two nearby big grain markets. The area has no market for cotton and sugar-cane.

The price control is also settled by middle men, known as "dalal" or commission agent. He is a professional in the art of settling prices between the growers and buyers. Their role however, is limited in Jaffarbad urban areas due to the existence of a Market Committee. Due to the non-availability of funds with the producers and their subsequent poor financial position in the last months of the growing season, the middle and lower class producers, having received loans from the commission agents, tend to sell their crops early to the middle men.

No statistics exist on the levels of income. In general there are three categories of landowners. Very rich, rich, and middle and lower class. The number of middle and lower class landowners is comparatively large. Their level of income is determined by the quantity and the yield from their land. The level of income from irrigated land is comparatively higher.

Based on the Agricultural Statistics of 1994 - 1995 the agricultural income can be calculated with reference to the average Quetta wholesale prices as is done in annexe 6. In average the annual income from agriculture of Rs. 4,100 per capita is above the average per capita agricultural income of Balochistan.

The Department of Agriculture at district level is headed by a Deputy Director, heading the whole divisional agricultural sector. There is one Extra-Assistant Director, three Agricultural Officers, 43 Field Assistants, and two Statistical Officers. The Pat Feeder Command area has its own staff.

The Agricultural Extension in Jaffarabad is headed by an Extra-Assistant or Assistant Director. The role of agricultural extension is increased as the excessive growth of rice has damaged the land, and replacement by other crops is badly needed, particularly cotton. There is a Deputy Director Research wing in Dera Allah Yar with Extra-Assistant Directors. The extension wing is under an Extra-Assistant Director.

Farmers in Jhatpat and Usta Mohahammad sub-divisions were inclined to grow sugarcane as a result of the agricultural extension. However, because of the absence of a sugar mill, the cultivationof sugarcane has been abandoned. It is assumed that, when a sugar mill would be operating in the district, farmers would shift to sugarcane instead of rice.

A sugar mill was planned, but when funds for the mill were released, the actual implementation was not completed. The pillars for the construction of the sugar mill were raised and can be seen few kilometers after D.M. Jamali city towards Dera Allah Yar.

The area is well irrigated through canal water. The Agricultural Department has two wings at Nasirabad and Jaffarabad for extension and for the Irrigation Project. There is also a research wing at an agricultural farm at Khan Pur near Usta Mohammad. The farm is to promote seed production.

There is a growing demand for agricultural extension in the area as land is ruined by excessive rice cultivation, but there is no market outlet for those crops that are proposed as an alternative, (sugarcane, cotton). Double cropping (i.e. rape seeds after rice) is becoming popular. The land is fertile for sugarcane and cotton. The horticulture can be promoted. Eighty percent of the area experiences double crops (rice and wheat rice and rape seeds) each year. The remaining 20 percent is single cropping of wheat or rice.