Interview with Mr. Adnan Saeed, an analyst
PAGE: Tell me something about yourself, please:
Adnan Saeed: Teaching has been the main part of my life for more than 26 years. I am an Accounting and Finance educator, academic professional, trainer, and mentor. For me, teaching has never been limited to completing a syllabus or preparing students for examinations. I believe a good teacher should make difficult concepts simple, build confidence in students, and prepare them for practical and professional life. Over the years, I have taught Financial Accounting, Cost and Management Accounting, and other related subjects at professional institutes and universities. My association with the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMA Pakistan) has been an important part of my teaching journey. I received several faculty recognitions during this period. ICMA Pakistan’s own published material has also recognized my teaching experience, workshops, and faculty achievements.
Another very important chapter of my life was Saeed Academy of Commerce & Economics (SACE), which was founded by my late father, Mr. Anwer Saeed Khan. I led the academy for more than two decades. SACE worked with a service-based approach to commerce education. We kept fees very low and supported students who could not afford quality education. ICMA Pakistan’s records also listed SACE as one of its Registered Education Providers, with me serving as Principal. This experience taught me that education becomes more meaningful when it reaches people who need it the most. My teaching journey has also received international recognition through my association with the Global Teacher Prize Community. The Varkey Foundation works to improve the status of teachers and recognize their contribution to society. Two of my personal teaching stories have also been published on the Global Teacher Prize platform, including my experience of continuing an accounting class by candlelight during a power failure in Karachi and another story about carrying forward my late father’s educational legacy. Along with classroom teaching, I have contributed through professional workshops, academic writing, accounting content development, student counselling, examination work, and teacher development. I strongly believe that learning should continue outside the classroom as well. After more than 26 years in education, I still consider myself a learner. My purpose remains the same: to share knowledge, support students and professionals, and make education easier to understand and more accessible. I believe the real success of a teacher is not only what he achieves himself, but how many people he helps move forward.
PAGE: Your views about agriculture sector of Pakistan:
Adnan Saeed: Agriculture is one of the most important sectors of Pakistan’s economy. It is not only about growing crops. It provides food, creates jobs, supports industries, earns foreign exchange, and provides income to millions of families, particularly in rural areas.
According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26, agriculture contributes about 23.4% to Pakistan’s GDP. The sector grew by 2.89% during FY2026, compared with 1.53% in the previous year. The World Bank’s latest employment data also shows that agriculture provides employment to around 36% of Pakistan’s total workforce. These figures show why agriculture remains so important for our economy.
Pakistan has many natural advantages. We have fertile land, a large irrigation system, different weather conditions, and the ability to produce wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables and many other products. Livestock is another major strength. In fact, livestock now makes up more than 62% of the agriculture sector and contributes about 14.6% to Pakistan’s GDP.
However, we are still not getting the full benefit from this sector. Farmers face problems such as water shortages, changing weather, high input costs, limited availability of quality seeds, old farming methods, post-harvest losses, and difficulty in getting finance and modern technology. Water is a particularly serious issue. This means that increasing production cannot depend only on using more land or more water. We have to produce more with the resources we already have.
In my view, Pakistan now needs to move from traditional farming towards modern and smart agriculture. Farmers should have better access to quality seeds, modern machinery, efficient irrigation, agricultural credit, crop insurance, weather information, and digital technology. Universities, agricultural research institutes, government departments, banks, and the private sector should work together instead of working separately.
We should also give more attention to value addition. For example, instead of exporting only raw fruits, vegetables, rice, meat, or other agricultural products, we should increase food processing, better packaging, cold storage, and branding. This can reduce waste, increase farmers’ income, create jobs, and help Pakistan earn more foreign exchange. The World Bank also highlights higher-value agriculture, processing, logistics, better water management, and stronger agribusiness as important areas for creating jobs and improving food security.
I also believe that our small farmers need special attention. A farmer should not remain the weakest person in the agriculture value chain. He should receive a fair price, timely information, affordable finance, and easy access to markets. Young people should also be encouraged to see agriculture as a modern business opportunity rather than an old-fashioned profession.
Pakistan’s agriculture sector has great potential. But potential alone is not enough. We need long-term planning, better water management, research, technology, investment, and strong support for farmers. If we modernize agriculture properly, it can improve food security, increase exports, create employment, reduce rural poverty, and become a much stronger engine of Pakistan’s economic growth.
PAGE: What incentives should the government give to promote agriculture sector?
Adnan Saeed: In my view, the government should provide incentives that reduce the cost and risk of farming, but at the same time encourage farmers to become more productive. Agriculture cannot grow only through temporary subsidies. Farmers need long-term support in finance, technology, water, research, markets, and protection against unexpected losses.
First, small farmers should get easy and affordable agricultural credit. Many small farmers do not have enough money to buy quality seeds, fertilizer, machinery, or modern equipment at the right time. The government, State Bank of Pakistan, commercial banks, Islamic banks, and microfinance institutions should work together to make agricultural financing easier. Loan procedures should be simple, and financing should reach genuine farmers instead of remaining difficult to access.
Second, the government should provide targeted support for quality seeds, fertilizers, modern machinery, solar-powered agricultural equipment, and efficient irrigation systems. Instead of giving the same subsidy to everyone, more support should go to small and deserving farmers. The latest Pakistan Economic Survey also identifies limited access to certified seeds, fertilizer costs, mechanization, credit, and market links as continuing challenges for agriculture.
Third, water-saving technology should receive special incentives. Pakistan cannot afford to waste water. Farmers who adopt drip irrigation, sprinkler systems, laser land leveling, and other water-efficient methods should receive financial and technical support. This can help us produce more crops with less water.
Another important area is crop and livestock insurance. A farmer can lose months of hard work because of floods, drought, extreme heat, disease, or other natural events. Affordable insurance can protect farmers from such losses. The government can support insurance premiums for small farmers so that one bad season does not destroy a family’s livelihood.
The government should also invest much more in agricultural research and farmer education. Our agricultural universities and research institutes should develop better seeds and farming methods that can deal with changing weather conditions. At the same time, this knowledge must reach farmers through strong extension services, mobile technology, and practical training. World Bank research also recommends stronger research, extension services, finance, machinery, technology, and climate-smart farming for Pakistan.
I would also strongly support incentives for cold storage, food processing, packaging, and agricultural exports. Farmers often suffer because their produce cannot be stored for long or they have to sell it immediately at a low price. Better storage, transport, processing, and market facilities can reduce waste and help farmers receive a better return. It can also help Pakistan move from exporting mainly raw agricultural products towards higher-value processed products.
The government should also encourage young people to enter agriculture. Special financing, training, technology support, and start-up programs can attract educated young people towards modern farming, agribusiness, food processing, agricultural technology, and livestock businesses. Agriculture should be presented to our youth as a modern business and career opportunity.
Finally, I believe farmers need fair and stable policies. They should know what support, prices, import-export policies, and market conditions they can expect before they plant a crop. Frequent policy changes create uncertainty and can discourage investment.
In short, the best incentive is not simply giving money to farmers. The real incentive is creating a system where a farmer has affordable finance, good seeds, modern technology, efficient water use, insurance, knowledge, storage facilities, and fair access to markets. If we provide these facilities, our farmers will become stronger, and a stronger farmer means a stronger agriculture sector and ultimately a stronger Pakistan.
PAGE: How would you compare agriculture sector of Sindh with Punjab?
Adnan Saeed: Both Punjab and Sindh are very important for Pakistan’s agriculture, but their strengths and challenges are different. In my view, we should not see them only as competitors. Both provinces support each other and play an important role in Pakistan’s food security, employment, industries, and exports.
Punjab has a clear advantage in terms of size and overall agricultural activity. According to the Agricultural Census 2024, Punjab has around 31.1 million acres of farm area, compared with around 9.2 million acres in Sindh. Punjab also has more than 5 million farms, while Sindh has around 1.83 million. This shows the much larger scale of agriculture in Punjab.
Punjab has a strong position in major crops such as wheat, sugarcane, rice, cotton and maize. It also has a large livestock sector. Its wider agricultural land, irrigation network, road connections, agricultural markets, research institutions and access to processing industries give it an advantage.
Sindh, however, has its own important strengths. The province is a major producer of cotton, rice, sugarcane, wheat, dates, mangoes, bananas, chillies and other fruits and vegetables. Upper Sindh is well known for dates and rice, while different parts of lower Sindh have strong production of fruits, vegetables and other crops. Sindh also has an important livestock sector.
Sindh has another advantage that should receive more attention: its location. Karachi and Port Qasim provide direct access to international markets. If Sindh develops better cold storage, food processing, packaging and transport facilities, farmers can connect more easily with export markets. This can create a major opportunity for value-added agriculture.
However, Sindh faces serious challenges. Water availability and proper distribution remain major concerns. Some areas also face waterlogging and salinity. Climate change has added further pressure through floods, heat and changing weather patterns. Small farmers often face difficulty in getting affordable finance, quality seeds, modern machinery, storage facilities and direct access to markets.
Punjab also faces problems, particularly water pressure, high farming costs, climate change and declining productivity in some areas. Therefore, both provinces need to move towards modern farming, efficient use of water, better seeds, technology and value addition.
One point is very important to me. Instead of asking whether Punjab or Sindh is better in agriculture, we should ask what Sindh can learn from Punjab and what Punjab can learn from Sindh. Provinces should share successful farming methods, research, technology and market knowledge. Agriculture is a national matter when it comes to food security and economic growth.
In my view, Punjab currently has an advantage because of its larger agricultural base and stronger supporting system. But Sindh has great potential, particularly in high-value crops, fruits, dates, livestock, fisheries and export-based agriculture. If Sindh improves water management, farmer support, storage, processing and market access, it can make a much larger contribution to Pakistan’s agricultural growth.
The objective should not be Punjab versus Sindh. It should be Punjab and Sindh working together for a stronger agricultural Pakistan.
PAGE: What is your take about the major crops?
Adnan Saeed: Pakistan’s major crops are very important for our food security, industries, exports, employment, and rural economy. Wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane, and maize are among the most important crops. In my view, the performance of these crops should not be judged only by how many tonnes we produce. We should also look at productivity, cost, water use, quality, farmers’ income, and their contribution to the economy.
The latest picture gives us both good and concerning signs. According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26, wheat production increased by 4.3% to about 29.61 million tonnes. Rice production increased by 2.8% to around 10 million tonnes, while sugarcane production increased by 6.2% to 89.45 million tonnes. On the other hand, cotton production declined slightly to 7.05 million bales, while maize production also declined to 8.79 million tonnes.
Wheat is our basic food crop, so its importance goes beyond agriculture. A shortage of wheat directly affects food prices and ordinary households. Pakistan should therefore focus on better seeds, higher yield per acre, proper storage, and reducing losses after harvesting.
Rice is important not only for food but also for exports. Pakistan has a strong name in international rice markets, particularly because of Basmati rice. We should protect this advantage through better quality, branding, packaging, research, and efficient use of water. Instead of focusing only on quantity, we should try to earn more value from every tonne we export.
Cotton is an area of special concern. Cotton is closely linked with Pakistan’s textile industry, which is one of our major export industries. When domestic cotton production is weak, our textile industry has to depend more on imported cotton. In my view, revival of cotton should be treated as a national economic priority. Farmers need better quality seed, protection from pests and disease, research support, and a fair return so that cotton remains attractive compared with other crops.
Sugarcane supports a large sugar industry, but we also need to consider its high water requirement. Increasing production is positive, but in a water-stressed country we should also ask whether we are using our land and water in the best possible way. Better varieties and higher yield per acre can help us produce efficiently without putting unnecessary pressure on water resources.
Maize has become increasingly important because it supports poultry feed and other industries. Its recent fall in production shows that we should not ignore this crop. Better seeds, research, weather protection, and modern farming methods can improve its productivity.
I also believe Pakistan needs a better balance in its crop policy. Farmers naturally choose crops that give them a better return. Therefore, government policies for prices, imports, exports, seeds, water, and agricultural credit should be clear and timely. A farmer should have enough information before deciding what to grow.
Another important issue is yield per acre. Pakistan should not depend only on bringing more land under cultivation. Land and water are limited. We have to produce more from the same resources through better seeds, research, technology, mechanization, farmer education, and efficient irrigation.
In my view, Pakistan has the ability to become much stronger in agriculture. Our aim should not simply be to produce more crops. We should produce better quality crops, at lower cost, with less waste and more income for farmers. If we achieve this, our major crops can strengthen food security, support our industries, increase exports, and make a much greater contribution to Pakistan’s economy.