Sindh government’s Agriculture Department has released a preliminary report outlining the extensive damage caused to crops by recent heavy monsoon rains.
Agriculture Minister Sardar Muhammad BuxMehar revealed that the floods have severely impacted farmers across the province, with an estimated financial loss of 86.86 billion rupees. Minister Mehar detailed the destruction, reporting that 541,351 acres of crops have been completely ruined.
Among these, 293,580 acres of cotton fields have been wiped out. Rice crops have also faced severe damage, with 35,271 acres completely destroyed and another 269,016 acres partially affected. Similarly, date palms have suffered total loss on 53,195 acres, with partial damage on 32,849 acres.
Sugarcane crops have been entirely destroyed on 26,382 acres, while 69,689 acres have been partially damaged.
The heavy rains have resulted in a 21% loss in cotton and a 41% loss in date palms. Other crops have also suffered, including a 3.4% loss in tomato nurseries, 22% in sesame, 58% in onions, 12% in chili peppers, and 18% in vegetables.
The minister emphasized that several districts have been particularly hard-hit by the rains, including Badin, Dadu, Ghotki, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Larkana, Sanghar, Thatta, Sajawal, Mirpurkhas, Khairpur, Umerkot, TandoAllahyar, Shikarpur, Nawabshah, Matiari, Tando Muhammad Khan, and Tharparkar.
In response, the Provincial Minister has instructed Agriculture Department officials to take swift action to protect the crops that have been partially damaged to prevent further losses.
