Socio-Economic and Institutional Factors Influencing Fertilizer Use in the Punjab (Pakistan)

Application of chemical fertilizers is one of the quickest and simplest means of increasing farm production. Increased fertilizer use has been an important factor in increasing crop productivity in the developed countries and in those developing countries which have shown high rates of growth in the agricultural sector. The use of chemical fertilizers in Pakistan started in 1952. With the introduction of fertilizer-responsive seeds for wheat and rice crops, and the availability of additional irrigation water from the installation of private and public tubewells, the use of fertilizers has become increasingly popular. The farmers were further encouraged to increase the use of fertilizers by a substantial price subsidy and the promotional efforts by the government and the fertilizer industry in Pakistan. Despite the promotional efforts by the government and fertilizer industry, the application rate of fertilizer in Pakistan remains one of the lowest, even when compared with the fertilizer use levels in other developing countries. During 1970-71, fertilizer use per hectare of arable land in Pakistan was 15.1 nutrient kilograms. During the same period the rate of fertilizer use in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Siouth Korea and Japan was 25.2, 47.3, 243.6,