Industry sector — Larkana Division
Industrial estates, rice & guava agro-processing, textiles, and energy infrastructure across five Sindh districts.
Larkana Division’s industrial economy is anchored in agro-processing — particularly rice husking and guava processing — alongside energy infrastructure in Kashmore and Qambar Shahdadkot, and a growing cottage-industry base in textiles and handicrafts.
Industrial estates (3 total)
- SITE Larkana (Larkana Special Economic Zone): 500 acres, formally designated a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) by federal and provincial governments; focuses on large-scale agro-based value addition, offering 1-acre industrial and commercial plots.
- Larkana Small Industrial Estate (SIE): 59 acres, 313 total plots (1–2 canals each); a dense manufacturing ecosystem for rice husking, flour milling, spice processing, and light consumer goods.
- Shikarpur Small Industrial Estate: managed under the SSIC framework; focuses on cottage industry, agricultural repair engineering, and localized textile/handicraft production.
- Larkana Industrial Park: supports regional SMEs, rice/guava processing pipelines, and traditional cottage clusters (hand-woven Sindhi cap, embroidery, clay pottery).
Larkana District (division lead)
Home to 2,100+ establishments — the largest concentration in the division — including rice husking/mills, flour mills, guava/agro-processing, and light engineering units. Reported employment mix: agriculture & agro-processing ~46.2%, construction-related trades ~21.5%.
Sector overview
| Sector | Major Products | Key Districts |
|---|---|---|
| Food Processing | Rice husking/mills (500+ active units), guava pulp, sugar manufacturing, flour mills, oil extraction mills, spices & red chili processing. | Larkana, Shikarpur, Qambar Shahdadkot, Jacobabad |
| Textiles & Crafts | Cotton ginning & pressing, power-loom weaving, hand-knitted traditional Sindhi Caps (cottage cluster), Ajrak printing, readymade apparel. | Larkana, Shahdadkot, Shikarpur |
| Chemicals & Plastics | PVC conduit piping, localized plastic products, industrial ice factories, basic candle manufacturing. | Larkana Industrial Estate |
| Minerals & Energy | Clay brick production, silica sand mining, oil & gas extraction wells (Kirthar Range borders), commercial coal deposits. | Qambar Shahdadkot, Kashmore, Larkana |
| Furniture / Wood | Hardwood household furniture, regional wooden handicrafts, wood-carved décor. | Larkana, Shikarpur |
| Engineering | Steel kitchenware, brassware fabrication, agricultural equipment repair, light metal mechanical parts, clay pottery molding. | Larkana (Lahori Area), Shikarpur |
Agro-processing by district
- Larkana: Rice (IRRI/Basmati), guava, sugarcane, wheat, tomatoes. Home to 200+ micro/small rice husking mills and the Nau Dero Sugar Mills; regional leader in guava pulp and packing (concentrated in Ratodero).
- Qambar Shahdadkot: Paddy rice (highest acreage in the division) and wheat, with large modern rice processing plants in the Shahdadkot and Qambar industrial corridors, specializing in export-quality rice milling.
- Shikarpur: Rice, oilseeds (mustard/rape), and wheat; small-scale rice husking and flour mills; specialized mustard oil and artisanal spice-blending.
- Jacobabad: Rice, wheat, pulses (gram), and fodder crops; mid-tier rice husking units serving upper Sindh and Balochistan border markets.
- Kashmore: Rice, sugarcane, wheat, oilseeds; border-belt rice mills and rural oil-expelling/flour-grinding units focused on coarse IRRI rice.
Larkana Division — industries open / closed
| Industry | Open | Closed / Dysfunctional |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar Mills | 1 | 1(Larkana Sugar Mills) |
| Flour Mills | 42 | 4 |
| Rice Husking & Modern Mills | 450+ | 50+ (Due to power tariffs/modern BMR failures) |
| Chilies & Spice Processing | 24 | 2 |
| Oil Expelling / Mills | 35 | 6 |
| Ice Factories & Cold Storage | 85 | 12 |
| Plastic & PVC Pipe Units | 14 | 2 |
| Light Engineering & Metal Fabrication | 48 | 5 |
| Total | 699 | 83 |
Larkana District — industries by type
| Industry | Active Units |
|---|---|
| Rice Husking & Processing | 109 |
| Flour Mills | 12 |
| Sugar Manufacturing | 1 |
| Chilies & Spice Processing | 18 |
| Oil Expelling & Mills | 15 |
| Ice Factories & Cold Storage | 35 |
| Plastic Products & PVC Pipes | 14 |
| Steel Pots & Utensils Fabrication | 22 |
| Clay Pottery & Bricks | 45 |
| Furniture & Woodcrafts | 65 |
| Textile, Looming & Garments | 80 |
| Gold Ornaments & Jewelry Crafting | 110 |
| Total | 526 |
Listed units (profile census); total 526.
Kashmore District — industries
| Industry | Units |
|---|---|
| Rice Mills | 114 (mainly coarse IRRI rice husking and processing clusters) |
| Flour Mills | 08 |
| Oil Extraction / Expelling Mills | 12 (mustard and rapeseed crushing) |
| Ice Factories & Cold Storage | 24 |
| Light Engineering | 09 |
| Grain Markets | 01 (Kandhkot Grain Market — one of the continent's largest grain trading markets) |
Also hosts the Guddu Thermal Power Station and the Kandhkot Gas Field (operated by PPL), feeding the national gas grid.
Jacobabad District — industries
| Industry | Units |
|---|---|
| Rice Husking & Flour Mills | 225 |
| Vegetable Ghee & Cooking Oil Plants | 03 |
| Soap Factories | 01 |
| Ice Factories & Cold Storage | 18 |
| Light Engineering | 12 |
| Jandree & Wood-Carving Artisan Units | 85+ |
Also home to Shahbaz Air Base, a strategic Pakistan Air Force facility.
Shikarpur District — industries
| Industry | Units |
|---|---|
| Rice Husking & Processing Mills | 135 |
| Flour Mills | 14 |
| Oil Extraction / Expelling Mills | 18 |
| Ice Factories & Cold Storage | 22 |
| Pickle, Preserve & Confectionery Clusters | 40+ |
| Light Engineering & Metal Repair Workshops | 15 |
| Hand-Looming, Embroidery & Artisanal Units | 90+ |
Qambar Shahdadkot District — industries
| Industry | Units |
|---|---|
| Rice Husking & Processing Mills | 240+ |
| Flour Mills | 09 |
| Oil Extraction / Expelling Mills | 14 |
| Ice Factories & Cold Storage | 26 |
| Light Engineering & Agricultural Implements | 18 |
| Textile & Weaving Blocks | 01 (Shahdadkot Textile Mills complex) |
| Hand-Embroidered Sindhi Cap Clusters | 350+ |
Also hosts the Mazrani Gas Field near the Kirthar Range foothills, feeding the national pipeline grid.
Economic impact
- Employment: 65,000+ direct industrial jobs (division-wide context).
- Exports: Rice (IRRI & Basmati variants among Pakistan’s best), guava pulp, hand-embroidered textiles.
- GDP contribution: Agro-processing plus oil & gas extraction contribute an estimated 22% of regional GDP.
Growth opportunities
- Larkana Special Economic Zone (SEZ): agro-based manufacturing, SME relocation incentives.
- Rice value-addition: high-tech modern milling, organic rice bran oil extraction.
- Guava & fruit processing: commercial juice, canning, and frozen pulp factories.
- Renewables: solar-powered grid integrations for off-grid rural husking mills.