| The growing demand for water resources highlights the need for improved management of this diminishing resource to ensure high water productivity. In order to cope with this situation, it is imperative to make use of available water resources more efficiently through high-efficiency irrigation systems (HEIs). The present study aimed to conduct the economic analysis of high efficiency irrigation systems in Punjab province of Pakistan. We also measured and compared the water productivity of modern and conventional-irrigated farms. We used primary data collected from 120 farmers located in Nurpur Thal, Bhalwal, Sargodha and Lodhran districts of Punjab province. These areas were purposively selected based on relatively higher concentration of HEI infrastructures installed on the farms. Sprinkler irrigation system was mainly installed on wheat crop while the drip irrigation systems were installed on mango orchards. Therefore, one half of the sample consisted of modern and conventional farmers growing wheat crop and the other half of the sample consisted of modern and conventional farmers growing mango orchards. Economic analysis measures of benefit-cost ratio (BCR) and net present value (NPV) were estimated. The results of the study showed that the users of high-efficiency irrigation systems (sprinkler and drip irrigation) earned higher gross margins. The BCR and NPV values showed that installation of HEI systems was an economically feasible option. In addition, water productivity at modern farms was higher than those of conventional farms. Our results showed that most of the farmers using HEIs were large farmers, therefore, we suggest that policy interventions should be directed at increasing the adoption rates among small farmers. This could be done by spreading awareness among the farmers about the economic benefits offered by HEIs.

Impulse buying is unplanned or spontaneous purchasing which could be negative for consumers and sellers at the same time. Recent literature showed great importance of impulse buying and many studies conducted about the factors which lead to attract the consumer through their impulsive behavior. During the current study underhand the focus was only on the consumers who purchase goods and services due to their impulsive behavior. The hypothesis of the study was that the impulse purchase is negative for both consumers and retailers. The study was conducted in Sargodha district of Punjab province. A sample of 300 respondents was selected through convenient sampling technique. Data were collected through personnel interviews by using a pretested questionnaire. The results showed that the quality of the product has a significant and positive impact on consumer’s satisfaction. The compatibility has positive and significant impact on level of consumer’s satisfaction. There is a positive impact of price of the product on consumer’s satisfaction for impulse buying. Budget disturbance has negative but insignificant impact on satisfaction after impulse buying. Happiness has positive and significant impact on consumer’s satisfaction. The impact of personality characteristics of openness is negative on satisfaction by the impulse buying. Personality characteristics of agreeableness has negative impact on satisfaction. The personality characteristic of extraversion has negative and significant impact on satisfaction. Individuals with this personality characteristics of conscientiousness can make good decisions during impulse buying which lead to satisfaction even after purchasing is done. Emotional stability has positive and significant impact on satisfaction after impulse buying which shows that these people make good decision even in the presence of impulse buying factors at the store.

Performance and Macroeconomic Determinants of Basmati Rice Exports from Pakistan

A country is prosperous if it has efficient development programs. Human capital contains resources like education, health, training, skills etc. For economic progress these qualities are very vital. Basic objective of this research is to explain the impact of human capital on growth and development of economics sector of the Pakistan. Because today in the developing countries, human development and growth has becomes the burning issues. To analyse the association between human capital and economic growth, used GDP as a dependent variable. This study further use Human development index as independent variable. Proxy of human development index consist of education index, health, fertility, infant mortality, life expectancy and sanitation. Our focus will be more on the education. Time series data for the years 1990-2019 were used. ARDL model was used by incorporating the human capital formation with other explanatory variables. The findings shows that the human capital has positive and significant impact on growth and the negative influence on the population and infant mortality rate.

| The main purpose of this study is to assess the impact of microfinance on the socioeconomic status such as, family income, family health status, children educational status, living standard, food/diet pattern, crop production and transportation and finally the constraints faced by the borrowers to get the loans from microfinance institutions. The primary data were collected from the 300 borrowers of microfinance institutions especially from Khushhali Bank limited through a well-designed structured questionnaire. The descriptive, inferential statistics, chi square statistics and simple linear regression models were used. The results of the study highlighted that 72.2% of the farmer’s incomes increases due to microcredit’s facility and due to increase in income, the farmers are able to get more access to the health facilities than before. 82.2% farmer’s response indicated that the microfinance have a positive and significant impact on the children’s educational status and due to microfinance their children were moved from government to private schools. Moreover, the parents whose children were not getting their education from the educational institutions due to their financial crisis and issues, now the parents sent their children to the educational institutions. 85.1% farmers replied that there is significant enhancement in the family living standard due to microfinance facility in the research area. It was also discussed that constraints experienced by the borrowers in getting the loans from the Khushhali bank limited and other microfinance institutions. The borrowers enumerated different problems such as high interest rate, no information about microfinance institutions, the complicated loans procedures, not believing on microfinance, small loan amount and not availability of loan at proper time. The farmers contacted the local agricultural credit officers, with governmental and non-governmental organizations and with different friends and relatives. The overall study concluded that the socioeconomic status of the farmers had been improved due to microcredit facility from the Khushhali Bank limited and other governmental and nongovernmental micro financing institutions in D.I. Khan. Finally, the study recommended that the government should manage the interest free loans, provide loans at earliest, shortest possible and at proper time, the government should need to increase the average size of the microfinance loans and create awareness through media.