ISLAMABAD, June 5: Agriculture registered a growth rate of 4.2 per cent during 2002-03, reversing the negative trend of previous two years marked by a crippling drought, says Economic Survey.

It further placed the growth rate of major and minor crops at 5.80pc and 0.41pc, respectively.

This was made possible by the relatively better availability of irrigation water following rains and snow on the mountains which had positive impact on overall agriculture production this year.

The major crops have shown greater stridency in 2002-03. At the same time, the minor crops appear to be straggling, given the fact that their output had registered a growth rate, on average, of 3.84pc.

According to the Survey, sugarcane, rice, maize and wheat registered growth rates of 8.3pc, 15.4pc, 5.6pc and 5.5pc, respectively.

The only exception was cotton 2002-03 with a negative growth rate of 3.8pc over the previous year. Its total output was placed at 10.2 million bales. The main reason, as per the Survey, was 10.3% drop in area sown to cotton mainly because of the lower availability of water.

Among other major crops, the production of bajra, jowar and barley is provisionally estimated to decrease by 12.5pc, 9.9pc and 8pc, respectively.