LAHORE: Floods in Punjab, which have immersed more than 1.3 million acres of cultivation lands along the eastern rivers, have caused significant damage to Kharif crops, particularly cotton, which caused fears of food inflation.
The floods have displaced two million people, submerged 2,000 villages and have led to the relocation of 760,000 residents and 516,000 head of cattle from the affected areas.
The satellite images of 24 Districts of Punjab in the command areas of the Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab rivers show that around 3,661 square kilometers, or 4.7 percent of the total area, remained under waters of floods.
Floods have devastated key crops, such as rice, sugar cane, corn, vegetables and cotton. According to the Pakistan business forum, approximately 35 percent of the cotton harvest in the center and south of Punjab have been destroyed, with losses up to 40-50pc in Bahawalnagar, the largest cotton producing district in the province.
The leader of the Kissan Board claims losses for its 500 billion rupees; More than 1.3 million submerged culture lands
Akhtar Farooq Meo of the Kissan Pakistan Board said that farmers suffered losses due to the sum of RS536 billion due to cotton damage, rice, sesame, corn and fodder crops. Mr. Meo said that many cities faced the shortage of perishable articles and that the situation could be transformed into a food crisis.
Meanwhile, there were contradictory reports on damage to rice harvest. The Pakistan Business Forum said that 60 % of the rice harvest in the center and south of Punjab had been destroyed, a claim disputed by exporters.
They said that the Basmati cultivation region, with the exception of Pasrur in Sialkot, remained largely without damage, adding that the non -bassati crop, particularly along the Sutlej River, had already been harvested at the end of July and early August, with only hybrid varieties in some areas that support the damage.
However, floods created a serious shortage of fodder, threatening the livestock industry, which was an important taxpayer to the national GDP.
Meanwhile, experts feared a strong increase in domestic grain prices that could make Pakistani rice not competitive in the global market. Similarly, the loss of cotton harvest was also alarming for the textile industry, which represents more than half of Pakistan exports income.
IHSANUL HAQ, president of the Cotton Ginners Forum, said the harvest was under severe stress.
The main cotton producing regions in Punjab and Sindh, including Bahawalnagar, fine, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan, were currently submerged or were preparing for more rains. According to reports, the reduced raw cotton supply forced several factories and factories of ginning to stop operating. In addition, there were early reports of a virus that affected several cotton varieties, which could further reduce acre yields.
Posted in Dawn, September 9, 2025
