Productive Sectors Quetta
The economy of district Quetta is multi-sectoral in nature. Agriculture is flourishing; horticulture is the leading sub-sector within agriculture, mostly producing apples and grapes. The quality of fruit produced is exceptionally good. Livestock is also an important sector. It is a source of income for the flock owners and it meets the nutritional requirements of the population residing in the district. Trade and commerce activities are also prominent, particularly in Quetta city.
There is a growing informal sector, out of the total 39,715 persons involved, 95.4% are male and 4.3% are children (Labour Department; 1993/94). These are mainly employed as petty traders, street vendors, in Chankey hotels, shops etc.
There is no specific government policy for the district. However, provincial policies are framed in the light of federal policies. These policies mainly focus on the provision of physical infrastructure, such as roads, delay action dams etc. Private sector is actively involved in the development of productive sectors to a great extent.
Agriculture / Horticulture
Introduction
There are two cropping seasons in Quetta district Kharif and Rabi: Kharif crops are sown in summer and harvested in late summer or early winter, while Rabi crops are sown in winter or early summer and harvested accordingly. The important Rabi crops are wheat, barley, vegetable and fodder.
The crops grown during Kharif are fruits, melons, vegetables, potato, fodder, onion etc. It is interesting to note that almost all the crops grown during Kharif season are cash crops, which reflect that the farmers are commercial minded; they mostly produce for the market. This also indicates that agriculture in the district is a settled sector. It is worth mentioning that melon is the crop which is sown both on irrigated and un-irrigated areas. It can be inferred that the farmers are rational. They use scarce resource (water) in an efficient and effective manner.
Rural women are involved in the agricultural activities within the walls of their houses. Some aged women do take part in assisting with agriculture activities, for which they are not paid. At the time of sowing and reaping the harvest, the demand for seasonal labour increases and male labour is employed on daily wages for this purpose. It is worth mentioning that rural local male labour has been replaced to some extent by skilled Afghan refugees, who are hard working and submissive.