Crops and Livestock

2026 Syllabus Objectives

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

Identify on a map the main areas where cotton, rice, sugar cane and wheat are grown, and the main areas where buffalo, cattle, goats, sheep and poultry are reared
Recognize from photographs fields of cotton, rice, sugar cane and wheat; recognize buffalo, cattle, goats, sheep and poultry
State the uses of cotton, rice, sugar cane and wheat
State the main products of buffalo, cattle, goats, sheep and poultry and the uses of those products
Identify the main areas for cultivation of apples, apricots, bananas, dates, maize, mangoes, millet, oilseeds, oranges, pulses, tobacco and vegetables; know why they are grown there and state an important use of each

Main Growing Areas:

Punjab: Faisalabad, Sargodha, Jhang, Kasur, Lahore, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Multan, Bahawalpur, Rahimyar Khan
Sindh: Nawabshah, Nausharo, Badin, Sanghar, Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera
Balochistan: Northern Balochistan (grown by the barani/rain-fed method)

Wheat is grown across most of the Indus Plain in both Punjab and Sindh, with some production in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

How to Recognize Wheat in Photographs:

Young wheat: Bright green shoots growing in neat, organized rows; looks like short grass covering the field
Mature wheat: Golden-brown or yellow color; tall stalks with seed heads at the top; the whole field looks like a "golden sea" ready for harvest
Harvest time: Fields are dry and golden under a clear blue sky

Uses of Wheat:

Making bread and roti: Wheat flour is the main ingredient for bread, chapati, and other baked products
Livestock feed: Lower-grade wheat or damaged grains are used to feed animals
By-product (chaff): The leftover parts after threshing are used as animal feed and mixed with mud to build storage huts

Main Growing Areas:

Punjab: Sialkot, Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Lahore (upper Punjab)
Sindh: Larkana, Jacobabad, Badin, Thatta (Indus Delta region and lower Sindh)

Rice is mainly grown in two zones: the upper Punjab (near the rivers) and the lower Sindh (in the delta area).

How to Recognize Rice in Photographs:

Growing rice: Bright green stalks standing in flooded fields (paddy fields); water is clearly visible around the plants
Rice plants: Look like tall grass, bright green in color, growing very close together
Workers transplanting: You might see people bent over in the water, planting young seedlings by hand
Mature rice: The green turns to golden-yellow when ready for harvest

Uses of Rice:

Food: Rice is a staple food in Pakistan, eaten daily by millions of people
Export: High-quality varieties like Basmati are exported to other countries, earning foreign exchange
By-product (rice husks): The outer covering is used to make cardboard, mixed with mud for roofing, or used as animal feed