Abstract
Agriculture is crucial for Pakistan’s economy and irrigation is the lifeblood of agriculture sector. The irrigation
system of Pakistan is the largest integrated network in the world. The state managed surface irrigation in Punjab
province had not been performing well and was deteriorating day by day due to financial, managerial and sociopolitical factors. Keeping in view the above mentioned problems, the government of Pakistan agreed upon
institutional reforms in water sector of the Punjab. Consequently, in 1997, Pakistan’s provincial assemblies
passed bills to implement institutional reforms in the country’s irrigation sector. In the province of Punjab,
institutional reforms have been introduced in the Lower Chenab Canal (LCC) East irrigation system as a pilot
project through PIDA Act of 1997. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of reforms in irrigation
sector on wheat productivity in the province of Punjab. A comprehensive survey of the study area was carried out
and data from 360 farmers and 30 farmer organizations (FOs) were collected through a well structured
questionnaire. The results of the study showed that on an overall basis, wheat yield increased by 10 percent from
32.4 maunds in pre-reform period to 35.5 maunds in post- reform period.
