Agriculture sector suffers loss of over Rs 256bn

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The ongoing downpour in a number of Sindh’s districts has caused a loss of over Rs 256 billion to the major standing crops on millions of acres, whereas almost all the minor crops, mainly vegetables, have been destroyed, Pakistan Today has learnt. According to sources in the agriculture department, the major crops that were destroyed by the continued rains include cotton, sugarcane and paddy; whereas the minor crops include vegetables and fodder. Moreover, fruits worth billions of rupees were also destroyed by the rains.
Over 2.2 million acres of agricultural land with standing crops have been completely destroyed by the rains.
Cotton crop on 58,095 acres in Khairpur was affected; 80,000 acres in Ghotki; 38,275 acres in Naushehro Feroze; 30,500 in Shaheed Benazirabad; 13,298 acres in Sanghar; 9,760 acres in Mirpurkhas; 4,859 acres in Umerkot; 18,000 acres in Dadu; 13,255 acres in Jamshoro; 40 acres in Hyderabad; 38,648 acres in Matiari; 2,727 acres in Tando Muhammad Khan; 3,521 acres in Badin; and 27 acres in Thatta.
The damaged rice crop include 32,528 acres in Khairpur; 12,724 acres in Ghotki; 8,058 acres in Sukkur; 1,300 acres in Naushehro Feroze; 157,008 acres in Jacobabad; 156,114 acres in Kashmore-Kandhkot; 215,586 acres in Shikarpur; 74,133 acres in Larkana; 162,557 acres in Kamber-Shahdadkot; 12,000 acres in Dadu; and 409 acres in Jamshoro.
The ruined sugarcane crop include 47,928 acres in Khairpur; 2,194 acres in Ghotki; 1,549 acres in Sukkur; 18,000 acres in Naushehro Feroze; 20,000 acres in Shaheed Benazirabad; 17,000 acres in Dadu; 750 acres in Matiari; 4,350 acres in Tando Muhammad Khan; and 2,140 acres in Thatta.
Heavy rains are still lashing various districts and the final figures could be ascertained only after the monsoon.
Sindh Abadgar Board Chairman Abdul Majeed Nizamani told Pakistan Today that the standing crop of cotton on over 1.8 million acres, minor crops on 6.7 million acres, paddy on 1.8 million acres and sugarcane on 700,000 acres has been completely destroyed by the rains.
Vegetables on 300,000 acres to 400,000 acres have been destroyed completely due to rains and accumulation of around five feet rainwater in the fields, he said.
“We (the growers) have faced a loss of at least Rs 70 billion on cotton and sugarcane crops, Rs 113 billion on vegetables and fodder, and Rs 54 billion on paddy crop. It is expected that the losses due to rains will be higher as the rains are still continuing in many districts,” he added.