Mohmand District
Trend Analysis
Demographics | 1998 | 2017 |
Area SqKms | 2296 | 2296 |
Population | 334453 | 466984 |
Population Density / SqKm | 146 | 203 |
Rural Population | 334453 | 466984 |
Total Housing Units | 24595 | 45595 |
Housing Units having Electricity | 18368 | 31968 |
Housing Units Having Piped Water | 13525 | 19525 |
Housing Unit using Gas for cooking | 1923 | 2523 |
Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
Outline
The Mohmand District has a population of around 466,984 and an area of 229,620 hectares (around 10% of the total FATA area). The cultivated area is around 9% and water availability is an issue in most parts of the District. The prominent sectors include Agriculture and Minerals, vegetables are predominant products in Agriculture while in mineral, reserves of Marble, Chromite, Dolomite, Manganese, Quartz, Emerald, Nephrite, and Feldspar deposits are also reported in Mohmand. In order to process the available marble into world class products and to promote industrialization in the district, Mohmand Economic Zone (also referred to as Mohmand Marble City) project is being initiated. Infrastructure development of the zone has started.
The main sources of Livelihood for the inhabitants are Agriculture, employment in other cities of the country, transport, and trading. As far as trading is concerned, they are highly involved in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
1. Export Sector
Trading activity is reasonably dominant and around 40-50 truckloads per day cross the border to Afghanistan using two crossings; Yaqubi Kandao and Lwar Ghakhai. The major goods moving from Pakistan to Afghanistan includes timber, poultry, fertilizers, pesticides, etc. and the ones moving into Pakistan includes Electronic goods, fruit, dry fruits, vehicles, vehicle parts, etc. Destinations for imported/smuggled goods are Bajaur, Shabqadar, Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. A main roadruns through the corridor to Afghanistan.
2. Agriculture
The Economic potential of the area is dominated by agriculture because of plain lands but shortage of water persists in the whole District. The major produce is Wheat, Maize and Vegetables.
3. Mohmand Marble City – Minerals
The previous FATA agencies of Pakistan are rich in mineral deposits and there are huge reserves of marble spreading all over KP. Approximately 845 million tons of good quality marble deposits are available in super white, grey and silky color in Mohmand. An area of 300 acres has been acquired in Mohmand district to establish Mohmand Marble city. The available infrastructure in said estate presents enormous opportunities for the investors by providing a favorable environment for the dimension stone industry of Pakistan. As per FATA Development Authority annual report it is estimated that this project would create 18,000 direct and indirect job opportunities. Besides Marble reserves 845 M tons, Chromite (1 M ton), Silica Sand (537 M ton), Dolomite (11 M ton), Manganese (1.8 M ton), Quartz, Feldspar, Emerald and Nephrite exist in Mohmand, (source: FATA Development Authority).
4. SWOT Analysis
Strengths
- Upcoming best available infrastructure for processing of Marble in Mohmand.
- Possibility of Value addition to Marble product by using state of the art technology.
- Process innovation as per international standards.
- Employment generation and skill development of the local community.
- Close proximity to Central Asia – for trade and export.
- Fertile land – Wheat, Maize and Vegetables are the major productions.
Opportunities
- Identify and work on projects which have capacity to generate electricity.
- Implement plans for construction of Hydro Power Stations for excess electricity in future.
- Undertake survey and planning for a HV Transmission Line between Mohmand and Peshawar.
- Consider a local power generation and distribution company for Mohmand which would be responsible for generating and distributing electricity to NTDC / Operator. It will give local ownership and take focus away from PESCO.
The Government of KP can act upon following recommendations to increase the efficiency of agriculture sector:
- Given low education level of local farming community and their subsistence farming approach, it is advised that:
- Agriculture department of KP, in collaboration with Agriculture University of KP, should apprise local farming community of productivity levels of different crops in their area.
- Farmers should be encouraged by the concerned departments to plant crops in which their given area holds comparative advantage. In this regard, a certain amount of financial cushion should be provided to farmer/growers to help them in the transition phase –– in cases where farmers are not used to or not familiar with a high yielding agricultural product.
- Regular workshops and seminars should be conducted to educate farmers on modern farming techniques. In this regard, assistance from UNFAO, USAID could also be sought.
- To make credit easily accessible to local farmers following actions can be taken;
- Encourage commercial banks to offer banking products keeping in mind the local requirement of the growers based on Islamic Banking model, can also extend credit facility to the farmers. Khyber Bank and ZTBL can play an active role in this regard.
- Educate the farmers on easy credit schemes helping them in getting accessories/equipment while expanding their output.
- The Agriculture University of KP with assistance from UNFAO and USAID shall facilitate food processing in the districts.
5. Conclusion
Mohmand district is gaining its image by offering investment opportunities in mining sector once the industries in Mohmand Marble city start operations. The district can build a positive image for investors by providing a commercially viable market.