Elevation ranges from sea level on the Arabian Sea to over 7600 m in the north. Pakistan lies in AEZ 5, characterized as warm arid and semiarid subtropics with summer rainfall. Climate varies from north to south over different periods of the year, but the country is generally arid. The population in 1995 was 130 million. The economy of Pakistan is still largely based on agriculture.
Wheat is the staple crop, providing about half of the daily calorie intake.
Unlike in other South and Southeast Asian countries, rice is not considered a subsistence crop in Pakistan. It is a cash crop grown for export. Rice is the third major crop, after wheat and cotton, in the contribution to GDP originating from agriculture. The international market price for basmati rice has been three times or more than that of the MVs. In 1995 Pakistan exported 1.6 million t of rice in response to the strong demand in the world market.