As is true in many countries, the Government of Pakistan is heavily involved in the sugar industry, regulating mill construction, trade and prices, and influencing farmers' crop decisions in various ways. One reason for the large government involvement with sugar is the political importance of the crop.
Sugar is also the second most important cash crop in Pakistan after cotton.
Self-sufficiency in sugar is a goal, but one that to date has proven illusive. The major sugar crop is sugarcane, but there is a small sugarbeet industry in the cooler high elevations of the Northwest Frontier Province. Rice, cotton, and sunflowers are major competitors for land use among farmers in that province. In Sind Province, cotton, wheat, rice, and sunflower are alternative crops, and the growing of bananas is becoming more popular. Due to higher yields, the share of Sind Province in total sugar production is about 40 percent.