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The Pakistan Army has established a modern agricultural park for pine nuts in South Waziristan. According to details, the agricultural park is comprised of pine nuts processing plant and storage facility. The purpose of the agricultural park was to preserve the pine nuts produced by the local farmers in South Waziristan.
Pakistan is the fifth largest producer of pine nuts in the world, as it exports pine nuts worth thirty billion rupees annually. Most pine nuts jungles spread over Badar, Shawal, Khamrang, and Angoor Adda in South Waziristan, and Barmal and Laman areas on the other side of the border.
Earlier in November last year, the Pakistan Army was all set to start farming on 1,000 acres of land in the Zarmalam area of South Waziristan. It was said that over the next few years, the farming area would be expanded, and 41,000 acres of land would be made suitable for farming. This project is expected to enhance the agricultural productivity of the region and promote food self-sufficiency.
A deal was signed last year by the caretaker Punjab government to give the army approximately 45,267 acres for “corporate agriculture farming.” The Pakistan military’s land directorate wrote to the state government in March 2023, requesting 42,724 acres in the Bhakkar district, 1,818 acres in Khushab, and 725 acres in Sahiwal.
Although 37.4% of Pakistan’s workforce is employed in the agricultural sector, which accounts for 23% of the country’s GDP, productivity is currently below average due to declining acreage under cultivation, a population-to-production imbalance, and $10 billion in agricultural imports.
In addition, the nation’s wheat output is falling short by 4 million metric tonnes compared to the 30.8 million metric tonnes of demand, and for the past ten years, cotton production has decreased by 40% to approximately 5 million bales.