PERFORMANCE AND PROSPECTS OF THE AGRICULTURE IMPLEMENT REPAIR AND MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES IN NORTH-WEST FRONTIER PROVINCE PAKISTAN A CASE STUDY OF DIR DISTRICT

Repair and manufacturing of agricultural implements in Dir District of North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, is a promising small scale enterprise. It enjoys a secure market in Dir District, and has clientle – though limited, in off – Dir market, too. The profitability level is low, but is stable. This enterprise is exposed to competition from outside, but has been able to counter it successfully so far. It can make a good contribution to the District’s economy through vertical and horizontal expansion for which, however, it would need public sector support to improve its efficiency, level of adoption of new technology, access to credit, etc. The fact that this enterprise is organized on a small scale, and the numbers of units are not too many, should not belittle its importance. It is an important adjacent of the agricultural sector – which is the Dir District’s major commodity sector, and any improvement or deterioration in it would have corresponding impact on the District’s agriculture and ultimately on its overall economy. Thus, there is a strong case for concerted development of this enterprise through public – private sector cooperation