Pakistan’s 2024-25 potato and onion sectors recorded marked expansion in both cultivated area and national output, with government documents outlining production trends and future targets across the main growing provinces. The reports also highlight structural constraints in the potato seed system and call for strengthened research capacity to sustain yield growth.
The potato sector continues to expand as one of Pakistan’s major cash crops. The crop is now the country’s fourth-largest by production volume after wheat, rice, and sugarcane. In 2024-25, potato area increased 14.7 per cent to 378,100 hectares, up from 329,500 hectares the previous year. Total production rose 19.1 per cent to 9.9 million tons compared with 8.3 million tons in 2023-24. Average yield improved 3.8 per cent to 26,131 kilograms per hectare.
Punjab remained the dominant contributor, accounting for nearly all national output. The province’s production rose 19.1 per cent to 9.8 million tons, with area expanding 14.8 per cent to 373,000 hectares. Yield increased from 25,341.5 kilograms per hectare to 26,308.3 kilograms per hectare. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa posted the strongest area expansion at 33.3 per cent, increasing from 1,800 to 2,400 hectares and producing 27,700 tons, 31.3 per cent above last year. Sindh and Balochistan recorded mixed results, with slight declines in output but modest yield gains.
National output exceeded the Federal Committee on Agriculture’s production target by 44.7 per cent. The Committee had planned for 6.8 million tons across 268,100 hectares. Actual production reached 9.9 million tons on 378,100 hectares. Targets for 2025-26 are set at 8.92 million tons across 349,400 hectares, with Punjab projected to supply 8.84 million tons.
The Ministry of National Food Security and Research also reported a broad expansion in onion production. National output increased 19.2 per cent to 2.747 million tons in 2024-25, up from 2.3046 million tons the previous year. The cultivated area increased 16.8 per cent to 166,400 hectares. Onion remains Pakistan’s second-largest vegetable crop after potato, with annual consumption estimated at 1.6 to 1.8 million tons.
Punjab was the main growth driver. Production rose 92.4 per cent to 914,000 tons, while area expanded from 29,000 to 52,000 hectares, an increase of 79.3 per cent. Yield improved 7.3 per cent to 17,577 kilograms per hectare. Sindh produced 783,200 tons, up 1.5 per cent, with area rising slightly to 57,900 hectares. Yield in the province remained stable. Balochistan produced 885,400 tons, supported by a 3.7 per cent increase in planted area. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded a decline in both area and production, with output falling 19.9 per cent to 164,500 tons.
The Federal Committee on Agriculture confirmed that the 2024-25 national onion production target of 2.554 million tons was surpassed by 7.5 per cent. Targets for 2025-26 are set at 2.78 million tons from 168,000 hectares.
Source: The Plantations International Agroforestry Group of Companies