ISLAMABAD, Oct 29 (Wealth Pakistan) – Pakistan’s chilies crop recorded marginal growth in both area and production during 2025–26, but yield and output remained below official targets, according to an official document available with Wealth Pakistan.
The document shows that while the overall cultivation area of chilies — a key cash crop grown across all provinces — expanded slightly compared with the previous year, productivity gains were limited and the national targets were not met.
Area and production trends
The area under chilies increased by 1.1 percent to 49,500 hectares in 2025–26, up from 49,000 hectares last year. Production edged up 0.5 percent to 114,400 tons compared with 113,800 tons a year earlier. However, the national average yield slipped by 0.6 percent to 2,312 kilograms per hectare from 2,325 kilograms per hectare previously.
Sindh remained the leading producer, contributing 85,300 tons from 35,700 hectares — almost unchanged from last year’s 35,600 hectares. Punjab followed with 17,800 tons, down 1.1 percent from 18,000 tons, despite a 1.5 percent increase in sown area to 6,900 hectares.
Balochistan’s production rose 2.9 percent to 10,500 tons on a 3.2 percent expansion in area from 6,300 hectares to 6,500 hectares. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) posted a sharp 56 percent increase in both area and production, though its share in national output remained minimal at 800 tons.
Provincial yield performance
Yield patterns varied across provinces. Punjab’s yield fell 2.5 percent to 2,579.7 kilograms per hectare from 2,647.1 kilograms per hectare a year ago, while Balochistan and KPK maintained stable yields. Sindh, the largest producer, sustained a high average yield of 2,389.4 kilograms per hectare.
Despite these steady results, the overall national crop fell well short of government targets for the current fiscal year. Against the Federal Committee on Agriculture’s (FCA) target of 54,400 hectares, only 49,500 hectares were cultivated — about 9 percent less. Production was estimated at 114,600 tons compared to the official target of 146,400 tons, reflecting a shortfall of 21.7 percent.
The national average yield of 2,316.2 kilograms per hectare also remained 13.9 percent below the FCA’s target of 2,690.4 kilograms per hectare.
Regional performance against targets
Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa fell slightly short of their official goals. Punjab achieved 90 percent of its production target and 87.3 percent of its area target, while KPK missed its goals by 22 percent in area and 21 percent in production.
In contrast, Balochistan outperformed, exceeding its area and production targets by 8.3 percent and 11.1 percent respectively, supported by a 2.6 percent improvement in yield.
Sindh, which accounts for over 70 percent of the country’s chilies output, underperformed — missing its production target by 26.4 percent. However, it maintained consistent yield levels compared to the previous year, reflecting strong productivity despite area and output shortfalls.