Karachi: Flooding in Pakistan has killed over a thousand people and displaced millions. The destruction of Pakistan’s crops adds to the country’s woes, depleting food supplies and reducing export revenues.
The majority of Sindh, Pakistan’s second-most populous and agriculturally dependent province, has been decreed disaster-stricken. Following a devastating heat wave, Pakistan is experiencing torrential monsoon rain. The monsoon has brought Pakistan the most rain in at least 20 years. According to Climate Risk Navigator for Agriculture, the aggregated amount of rainfall from June 1 to August 30 was 161% significantly greater than the 10-year average, weighted for the country’s total land area.
Pakistan is a major producer of rice and cotton, both of which have suffered damage. Heavy rains and flooding also pose a threat to the upcoming wheat planting season, which comes at a time when global wheat supplies are already scarce. Due to the ongoing monsoon, Sindh has suffered a 45% loss in cotton and a 31% loss in rice.
The provincial government declared that there have been significant losses, which would include civilian lives, poultry, property destruction, and standing crops. Agriculture is one of the most affected industries, according to the report. Sindh is home to approximately 48 million citizens and produces roughly one-quarter of the country’s agricultural output. However, this year’s massive flooding is only a component of the province’s agricultural problems.
Due to dry and hot weather early in the growing season, Pakistan’s rice crop got off to a slow start. Above-average annual rainfall is now threatening production ahead of cultivation, which was set to begin next month. Sindh, the second-largest rice-growing province after Punjab, has been particularly affected. The cumulative precipitation in Sindh’s rice-growing areas has reached its highest level in at least twenty years.
China has emerged as a significant buyer of Pakistani rice, primarily lower-grade, broken rice for animal feed. In the first four months of 2022, China imported 350,000 tons of Pakistani rice, a 163% increase over the previous year. Flood damage to Pakistan’s crop comes as recession threatens up to half of China’s rice crop. Whereas, production in India, the world’s largest rice exporter, is expected to fall. Malaysia, East African countries, and Saudi Arabia are among other buyers of Pakistani rice.
Despite being the world’s fifth-largest cotton producer, Pakistan is heavily dependent on imports. Flood damage will almost undoubtedly force Pakistan to increase cotton imports at a time when the production in the United States, the world’s third-largest supplier and top exporter of cotton, is expected to decline 28% year over year due to drought.
Agriculture contributed 22.7% of Pakistan’s GDP in the current financial year 2021-22, up from 23% in the preceding year, according to the Economic Survey Pakistan. Despite the fact that the sector’s growth rate expanded to 4.4% in 2021-22, slightly higher compared to 3.5% in 2020-21. Agriculture’s contribution to Pakistan’s GDP has steadily declined over the years. According to the most recent information, the decline will most likely be accompanied by a substantial drop in output this year.
The severe flooding of this year is only part of the province’s agricultural problem. If Pakistan is to meet future environmental challenges, it will need to incorporate proactive steps in agriculture.
By: Dr Ayesha Farrukh
