The impact of infrastructure on Pakistan's agricultural sector

Abstract

The most effective way of increasing agricultural output in Pakistan is to encourage more private investment in the sector. There is evidence that the Indus Basin competes with the private sector for funds. Deficiencies in several types of infrastructure may be a moderate constraint on agricultural production. These include total public investment energy, and several types of general government infrastructure. What is suggested here is that a better coordination of government programs which avoid conflict may be more productive than government programs directly oriented toward the sector. The results presented here are consistent with the idea that agricultural development in Pakistan must now rely on intensive rather than extensive types of inputs. This would include incentives to the private sector to increase mechanization together with other-yield increasing types of inputs. -from Author