ISLAMABAD – Recent floods in Punjab have caused severe destruction to agriculture, damaging both major and minor crops. According to the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, millions of acres of farmland were affected.
Initial assessments show that floods damage impacted 1.329 million acres of cultivated land. This represents 6.3 percent of Punjab’s total cropped area of 18.958 million acres. The losses cover cotton, rice, sugarcane, maize, sesame, fodder, and vegetables. Livestock and rural infrastructure were also hit by torrential rains and flash floods.
Among major crops, rice suffered the most. Nearly 654,000 acres of rice fields were submerged, equal to 10.1 percent of its cultivated area. Fodder crops were the next worst hit, with 334,000 acres or 7.2 percent damaged.
Floods damage was also reported on 92,000 acres of maize, accounting for 6.4 percent of its area. Sugarcane losses were estimated at 106,000 acres, equal to 5 percent of its sown land. Sesame crops faced losses of 60,000 acres, or 5.4 percent. Cotton was also affected, with damage on 55,000 acres, amounting to 1.7 percent of the total cultivated area.
Vegetables saw the highest proportional loss, with 25.8 percent of their sown area destroyed. Officials noted that the combined impact of rice, fodder, and vegetable damage made up the largest share of agricultural losses.
Authorities have said that both federal and provincial governments are working to restore the damaged farmland. Efforts are underway to rehabilitate affected areas and support farmers. The government has pledged to use all available resources to overcome the floods damage and ensure food security in the country.
In other news read more about: Floods Worsen Across Punjab Amid Heavy Monsoon Rains
