Devastating rains across Sindh have not only caused loss of precious life and property, but also damaged crops of cotton, rice, sugarcane and other agricultural products. Losses to cotton and rice crops will adversely affect the country’s exports, of which the two products comprise a substantial share.
“Almost half the rice crop of the province has been damaged, while the rest is also at risk in case of further rains and floods,” according to farmers, who added that the damaged rice was cultivated on almost one million acres of land.
Besides, the crop of cotton cultivated on almost 0.2 million acres land has damaged due to the current torrential and devastating monsoon rains, sources said. According to unofficial reports and estimates, almost 60 per cent of cotton crop has been damaged in the province because of heavy rains and flood-like situation in the lower parts of cotton belt. According to sources, because of the damages caused by climatic changes, the country’s expected production of 15 million bales of cotton this year is also unlikely to be met during the financial year 2011-2012. Thus it will affect the over all exports of the country that are largely based on cotton and textile products. Also, After heavy rains in almost 18 districts of Sindh, a reduction of around 1.2 million bales out of the targeted four million is expected so far. While the cotton crop has also been damaged in some parts of Punjab, total production this year is expected to be around 13 million bales out of the estimated target of 14.2 million bales, sources claimed. Cotton was heavily damaged in Tharparkar, Hyderabad, Badin and Thatta districts, where it was yet to be cultivated. The other crop which has good share in the country’s exports was rice, which also faced heavy losses and damages under the torrential rains. Besides, almost 30 per cent damages have also reportedly made to sugarcane crop in the province.
However, talking to Pakistan Today, Taufiq Ahmed Khan, Vice President Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP), said though the rice crop has been damaged in the province, the actual estimates of damages were yet to be examined. “As farmers usually use rain water for re-sowing of rice in Sindh, we can not say that the damages will go beyond 50 per cent,” he said, adding that as rains in major parts of Punjab have benefited the rice crop, the overall affect of monsoon rains on cotton is hoped to be minimum. He informed that the association has requested the Sindh Agricultural Ministry and other concerned authorities to immediately estimate the damages made to various crops.”
