ABSTRACT
In Pakistan more than 70% of the population derives its livelihood directly or indirectly from agriculture. The crop area is about 40 million acres (Ma), the major crops being wheat (18.2 Ma), cotton (5.4 Ma), rice (4.9 Ma), grams (2.3 Ma), sugarcane (2.2 Ma), maize (1.9 Ma) and fruit (0.9 Ma). More than 60% of the pesticides used are applied to cotton, about 10% to rice and the remainder is primarily used on sugarcane, fruit, vegetables and grain legumes. The marketing of pesticides is in the private sector in Pakistan, except for one province, Baluchistan, where pesticide use is less than 2% of the total national consumption. This province is mostly desert and hilly, with little cultivation in the scattered communities. Pesticides are controlled in Pakistan by various restrictions, advice and laws issued by the government regarding registration, import and sale of pesticides.
