best: Faisalabad the industrial city of Pakistan

Tuesday, 2 November 2010

Faisalabad the industrial city of Pakistan

Faisalabad (Punjabi, Urdu: فیصل آباد) is a city in the province of Punjab,Pakistan. It was formerly known as Lyallpur. Faisalabad is the third largest city in Pakistan after Karachi and Lahore. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has risen from 9,171 in 1901 to 179,000 in 1951 and to 2,009,000 in 1998. The larger Faisalabad district had a population of about 5.4 million in 1998.

It is an important industrial centre west of Lahore. The city-district of Faisalabad is bound on the north by the districts of Hafizabad and Chiniot, on the east by Nankana sahib, on the south by Sahiwal, and Toba Tek Singh and on the west by Jhang. It is 1,135 km (705 mi) from Karachi, 128 km (80 mi) from Lahore, 350 km (220 mi) from Islamabad/Rawalpindi, 187 km (116 mi) from Burewala, and 70 km (43 mi) from Jhang.

The city is at a road and railway junction, which has played an influential role in the development of Faisalabad's trade and economy. The surrounding countryside, irrigated by the Lower Chenab River, has seen expanded production of cotton, wheat, vegetables, andfruits, which form 25% of Pakistan's exports. The city is also an industrial centre with major railway repair yards, engineering works, and mills that process sugar, flour, and oil seed. Produce includes super phosphates, cotton and silk textiles, hosiery, dyes, agricultural equipment, and ghee (clarified butter). Faisalabad is also the site of the prestigiousUniversity of Agriculture, founded in 1909.

Clock Tower of Faisalabad

Agriculture

Faisalabad district is un-parallel for its agricultural productivity. The area grew in importance as the grain belt of the Punjab. Prosperous towns and villages sprung up in the wake of colonization. The Kharif crops are maize, rice, sugarcane and bajra. The Rabi crops are wheat. barley, gram and barseen.

In addition to these, there are also Zaid Kharif and Zaid Rabi crops.Zaid Kharif crops are toria, raiya, sarsoon and Zaid Rabi crop is tobacco. The use of tractors is becoming popular and fast replacing the conventional ploughs. Improved variety of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides have greatly increased per acre yield and with that the prosperity of the peasant community which has toiled for three generations to transform a barren land into verdant fields.

Faisalabad district is famous for its fruit production also. The important fruits are Kinno. Malta, Fruiter, Mango and Guava, Faalsa is also grown. The total area under fruit orchards is 34,517 acres.