By Mashal Rehman.
As Pakistan’s agriculture struggles under the weight of climate change, water scarcity, and shrinking profit margins for smallholder farmers, the time has come to seriously rethink the crops we choose to cultivate. While major crops like wheat, sugarcane, and cotton dominate policy and public discourse, lesser-known crops with
remarkable resilience and economic promise remain largely ignored. Among them is guar, a hardy legume commonly known as cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) quietly grown in the arid zones of southern
Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan.
Guar’s importance lies in its low input requirements, adaptability to harsh conditions, and high economic value. It grows well in sandy soils and with limited irrigation; a quality that makes it ideal for areas facing increasing drought frequency and depleting water tables. Its deep-rooted system, short growing season, and heat tolerance allow it to thrive where other crops fail. As a leguminous plant, guar also enriches the soil by fixing atmospheric
nitrogen, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and enhancing the productivity of succeeding crops.
Yet, the real value of guar lies in its seed more specifically, the gum derived from it. Guar gum is a powerful natural thickener used in a wide range of industries: food processing, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, textiles, and even the oil and gas sector, where it plays a key role in hydraulic fracturing. This industrial versatility makes guar gum a globally traded commodity, with rising demand across developed and emerging economies.
Unfortunately, despite its ideal growing conditions, Pakistan has barely scratched the surface of this market.
India, with similar agro-climatic zones, currently dominates more than 70 percent of global guar gum production and export.
It has built an entire industry around guar from high-yielding varieties to local processing plants and global export chains. In contrast, Pakistan continues to treat guar as a secondary crop, often exporting raw seed
with minimal value addition. A lack of dedicated processing units, certification systems, and export channels has kept Pakistan out of the high-value guar gum market.
From a research standpoint, the potential is undeniable. Over the years, Pakistani institutions have developed promising guar varieties with improved yields and gum content. However, these remain confined to research farms due to the weak link between public research and private sector investment. Farmers often continue using
traditional varieties with low returns, unaware of the improved lines available.
Moreover, without guaranteed buyers or stable pricing, there is little motivation to adopt guar on a commercial scale.
In the broader policy landscape, guar remains almost invisible. It does not figure in national crop zoning strategies, minimum support price schemes, or climateresilient agriculture plans. This oversight is especially striking given that guar not only conserves water and improves soil fertility but also provides fodder making it a dualpurpose crop for both cropping and livestock systems. In regions where fodder shortages are acute, this trait alone should be reason enough to promote guar more vigorously.
What is needed is a multi-pronged approach: first, recognizing guar as a strategic crop for arid zones, followed by targeted research funding, farmer outreach, seed multiplication, and local processing infrastructure. Public-private partnerships can play a vital role in developing guar gum extraction units and linking growers to industrial buyers. Creating awareness among farmers through training programs, field demonstrations, and media campaigns can also help shift the perception of guar from a marginal crop to a high-value alternative.
At the Agricultural Research Station in Bahawalpur, where I currently serve, we have recently sown promising guar varieties including BR-17, BR-21, BR-22, and Thal Guara in June 2025 to meet the rising demand from farmers. Interest in guar cultivation is steadily increasing due to its economic benefits and its dual role in seed production and livestock fodder. Notably, this institute remains the only dedicated research station in Punjab working exclusively on the improvement and development of the guar crop. The increasing adoption of improved varieties reflects a slow but encouraging shift in farmer behaviour one that deserves institutional support and national recognition.
Guar is not just a crop; it is a climate solution, an economic opportunity, and a way forward for sustainable agriculture in Pakistan’s arid and semi-arid regions. At a time when our traditional cropping systems are being challenged by environmental and economic pressures, it is essential to look beyond the usual suspects and invest in alternatives that are both resilient and profitable.
It is time to bring guar out of the margins and into the mainstream. With the right policy focus, value chain development, and farmer-centric support, this neglected crop could become a cornerstone of Pakistan’s agricultural resilience and rural prosperity
About the Author
Mashal Rehman is a senior scientist
(BS-18) specializing in guar crop improvement at the Agricultural Research Station,
Bahawalpur. She has previously served at
RARI, Bahawalpur, and the National
Agricultural Research Centre
(NARC), Islamabad.
