There are two cropping seasons in Kalat district, kharif and rabi. Kharif crops are grown in summer and harvested in late summer or early winter. Rabi crops are sown in winter and during early summer and harvested accordingly.

The main crops grown during rabi are wheat, barley, cumin, fodder and various vegetables. Kharif crops include fruits, onion, potato, vegetables, melon and fodder. Fodder is cultivated throughout the year, while fruits are produced in kharif season only.

In 1994-95, the total area under rabi and kharif crops was 31,237 hectares, of which 19,425 (62.18 percent) was under rabi crops and 11,812 ha (37.82 percent) was under kharif crops. The proportion of irrigated area under rabi and kharif crops was 77.6 percent.

The land of Kalat is very fertile, particularly on the sides of the valley. The land can be divided into two major classes, mountainous and plains. These can be further classified into irrigated and unirrigated land.

The major source of irrigation is through tube wells, followed by karezes and springs and other wells. According to the Agricultural Statistics of 1994-95, the total irrigated area was 32,333 hectares, out of which the area irrigated through tube wells was 29,523 hectares, i.e. 91.3 percent and the area irrigated through karezes and springs was 2,400 hectares, i.e. 7.4 percent. Thus 98.7 percent of the irrigated land was irrigated through tube wells, karezes and springs.

The total geographical area is 662,100 hectares i.e. 100 percent. The major area 531,178 hectares of the district is not reported i.e. 80.23 percent. The reported area is only 19.77 percent. The potential area available for cultivation is 21.55 percent of the reported area (14.17 percent is cultivable waste and 7.38 percent is arable land). The area not available for cultivation is 14.69 percent of the reported area.

As far as land ownership in district Kalat is concerned, cultivated area is under personal ownership, while those lands that have not been brought under administrative control/record belong to the tribes residing in that area. In Kalat district few land owners hold large areas of the land. The majority of the land owners have a small piece of land for cultivation, which is generally ten to fifteen hectares. Land owners hire the services of labour on the basis of equal distribution of crops (Batti System). The labourer works for the whole season. Some land owners hire the services of labourers on cash payment. The labourers also involve their families (women and children) at the time of sowing and harvesting of crops.

According to the 1990 census of agriculture land, the total number of reported farms in Kalat (including Mastung) was 21,489. Out of them, four were government farms and 21,485 were private farms. The area of government farms was 301 hectares and the area of private farms was 276,234 hectares. Small farms (up to 5 hectares) were 45 percent of the total number of farms. Medium farms, ranging from 6-20 hectares were 30 percent. Large farms having 21-50 hectares were 20 percent and the big farms having more than 50 hectares were only 5 percent.

The agricultural statistics are collected at the Union Council level. Every year the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food develops a schedule and guidelines for data collection. Through the provincial Agriculture Department this schedule is sent to the field assistant of every union council to collect the agriculture statistics in the field. The field assistant visits the field area at the time of sowing and get a rough estimate regarding the cultivated area and the crops produced. This is the first estimate. Then the second estimate is taken at the time of harvesting. These statistics are generally taken for the major crops only. In Kalat district these crops include wheat, fodder, vegetable, and fruits. This data is further verified at district level. Then the Agriculture Department compiles the data at district level. The Provincial Directorate publishes the report of agricultural statistics of Balochistan. The statistics for 1994-95 are given below.

During 1994-95 the (area-wise) ranking of crops shows that wheat (12,600 ha) ranks as No. 1, followed by fruits (4,379 ha). On third place comes onion (4,195 ha) and fodder (2,935 ha) is on 4^th place. They are followed by cumin (2,700 ha), potato (2,006 ha), barley (1,500 ha) and vegetables. The remaining crop types include rice, chillies, melons and jowar. Most of the crops grown in the district are high value cash crops.

The cropping pattern ranking in area is given below.

Productivity per unit of irrigated land widely differs from unirrigated lands. Therefore, average yields of crops are not a suitable indicators and they do not reflect the real potential of the area.

Average yield of wheat per ha in irrigated area in Kalat was 2,106 kg and in un-irrigated areas 1,105 kg. While in Balochistan the corresponding figures were respectively 2,587 kg and 2,320 kg. The average yield of onion and potato per ha: in Kalat for the same period was 23,480 kg and 14,043 kg per ha: While in Balochistan the average yield of these crops were 20,002 kg and 15,081 kg per ha. It shows that average yield of onion in Kalat was much higher than Balochistan, while the yield of wheat and potatoes were lower in Kalat.

As far as agricultural production in Kalat is concerned the production of onion, potato and fruits, was 98,500, 28,170 and 65,923 tonnes respectively. The district produced 71,240 tonnes of fodder and 1,550 tonnes of cumin during 1994-95.

Decisions made with regard to agricultural production are made by the male members of the household. The farming system in the area is a traditional one. However, tractors are used for ploughing the land and tube wells are used to water the fields. In 1994-95, there were 169 tractors and 2,221 tube wells in district Kalat.

Generally land owners themselves cultivate their land. Some land owners also hire labor on contract basis. Women and children also participate in sowing and harvesting activities. They are also involved in fruit harvesting and packing during the season. The big land owners hire labor on permanent basis for sowing and harvesting the crops, The small land owner carries out all the activities himself. In the government farms the government cultivates crops on experimental basis with full time employees.

Productivity per unit of land of irrigated areas widely differs from that of unirrigated areas. In irrigated areas, the productivity is at least twice as much as that of unirrigated areas. Farmers with irrigated land can plan their crops.

Irrigation is the backbone of agriculture. The main source of irrigation in the district are tube wells, karezes, springs, etc. During the year 1994-95, 91.3 percent of the irrigated land was covered by tube wells. The area was 29,523 hectares. During the same period karez, spring and other schemes have irrigated 2,400 hectares of land i.e. 7.4 percent of the total irrigated land. Only 410 hectares of land was cultivated through the open surface wells. The table below gives the percentages of the arable land.

During 1994-95, 34 government and 2,237 private tube wells were functioning. Out of 34 government tube wells 32 were running on electricity and only two were running on diesel, while in the private sector 2,218 were running on electricity and 19 on diesel. The contribution of the government is only 1.5 percent in irrigation, through tube wells.

Tractors and tube wells are used by the majority of the farmers in the area. Spray machines are also used for spraying vegetables and fruits. The Agriculture Department and local government also assist the zamindars (land owners) in using the modern techniques of agriculture. Tractors and threshers are used for the agricultural activities. For the purchase of tractors and other agricultural equipment the land owner seeks loans from the Agricultural Development Bank and other scheduled banks. According to the Agricultural Statistics of 1994-95 there were 5 government and 164 private threshers and only one government harvester available in the district. The agriculture department provides these machines on rental basis to the land owners. The use of tube wells for irrigation purposes is increasing in the area-91.3 percent of irrigation is covered by these tube-wells.

The main inputs used in the agricultural sector are fertiliser and certified seeds. Fertiliser (NPK) is supplied through a network. The retailer gets it from a wholesale seller, who is usually a distributor in the district. Certified seeds are usually distributed by the concerned Agriculture Department of the district, along with technical know-how. Ordinary seeds are available at local shops.

The use of chemical fertilizers in 1993-94 and 1994-95 (in tonnes) is given in the table below.

Source: Agricultural statistics 1993-94 and 1994-95

It may be observed from the above table that the use of most fertilizers decreased. This was largely due to an increase of prices.

The district produces large quantities of fruits, onion, potato and cumin. It is estimated that 60-70 percent of the produced onions, fruits and cumin is transported to other provinces. The lack of market infrastructure and regulation directly affects the prices the farmers receive for their produce. There are various intermediaries operating at various marketing stages. Marketing of all agricultural produce is done by the private sector. In the case of fruits, the marketing process starts from the time when the orchards are still in blossom and the coming produce is sold to a contractor. The contractor manages the orchard till harvest. Commission agents are a dominant business force. They work like a bank providing credit to farmers, pre-harvest contractors and wholesale sellers. In return the commission agents guaranteed that the marketing of their products will go through them.

The producer’s price is the price the farmer receives for his crop. The consumer’s price is the price charged from the consumer. The Agricultural Price Commission (APC) is responsible for fixing support prices for agricultural commodities like wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane and sometimes for onion and potato. The main purpose is to safeguard the interest of the farmers. However, in the district, the process is determined through market mechanisms. The major reason is that prices fixed by APC are much lower than the prices prevailing in the market. This is the reason that the role of PASSCO in district Kalat is negligible. Prices in the open market are settled in relation to the prices prevailing on other markets, especially Quetta and Karachi.

There is an absence of data at district level, to represent the farmers’ levels of income. Changes in levels of income cannot be worked out without estimating costs of production for specific crops produced in the district. Moreover, agricultural price data is also essential.

However, the prices of almost all agricultural commodities produced in the district have increased over time. With the advances of biochemical and tractor and tube well technology, production has increased as well. The costs of agricultural inputs have also gone up. Despite all this, the remunerative price relationship between input and output has remained in favour of the farmers. Therefore, it can be argued that the levels of agricultural income show a rising trend.

The major objective of the Department of Agriculture, especially its extension services, is to provide technical know-how and to disseminate the results of research. It provides subsidised seeds and educates farmers about optimum use of water, NPK, seeds, etc. The Department is also working on certain projects, in collaboration with and with financial assistance from donor agencies. One of these project is the On Farm Water Management (OFWM) project, under which water tanks and canals are constructed. The donor agencies pay 3/4 of the costs and the other 1/4 is borne by the farmers themselves.

The provincial government is playing a dominant role in the provision of agricultural services. The Department of Agriculture Government of Balochistan is the main partner providing major assistance and guidance to the agricultural sector.

• The agricultural sector is the most dominant sector in district Kalat. Horticulture is the backbone of the economy.
• The district holds potential for high valued cash crops, like fruits, vegetables, onions, cumin and potatoes.
• Water resources are scanty and non-availability of water is the major obstacle in the way of agricultural development. Major sources of irrigation are the tube wells, the installation of which is very expensive, due to the district’s low water table.
• There is a need to increase the activities of Agricultural Extension to make maximum yield possible. This can be achieved through awareness raising programmes in connection with appropriate use of water, fertilisers, etc..
• The construction of farm to market roads can produce incentives for farmers an can also save them from being exploited by middlemen.

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