Ahmed Khan Malik

Sindh’s agricultural economy has put up an impressive show this year after suffering a massive blow when the devastating floods last year cut a swathe through the province, reports WealthPK. According to details, the production of major crops has surpassed the targets or their sowing has depicted an upward trend. According to the Cotton Ginners Association (CGA), the province has achieved its annual cotton production ahead of time in November 30. Sugarcane production is forecast at 83.5 million metric tons during 2023/24, three percent above the 2022/23 estimate, due to the expected recovery in area. Last year, the harvested area and output were affected by the floods. Likewise, the Sindh Agriculture Department estimates show that wheat sowing is going on in more areas this year compared to the last year when the agricultural lands stood buried in the floodwater.

Between June and August 2022, monsoon rains brought torrential rains, inundating vast swathes of Pakistan. The floods took the lives of more than 1,700 people, one-third of which were children. The rivers swelled to dangerous levels, inundating villages, towns, and farmlands. The provinces of Balochistan and Sindh were particularly hard hit, forcing the communities to flee as the rising waters swallowed their homes. According to the World Bank, housing, agriculture, livestock, and transport sectors suffered the most, with the total damage estimated at 3.2 trillion rupees (US$14.9 billion). Sindh accounts for 42 percent of rice production, 23 percent of cotton production, and 31 percent of sugarcane production. 

Naveed Rajpar, an agriculture consultant in the Planning and Development Department, told WealthPK that in order to cope with the devastating impact of floods on the agriculture, the provincial government with the assistance of the federal government and global institutions had chalked out an agriculture revival project as agriculture was a major source of livelihood in the rural parts of the province. He said after draining water from the flood-hit areas, the farming community was given seeds at economical rates and easy and cheap credits by the banking sector for revival of economy, which helped the farmers cultivate more than the previous year.

He said efforts would be made to increase the agricultural sector’s growth, which was necessary to raise income, reduce poverty and food insecurity, provide decent employment and facilitate a greater attention to sustainability. He said the future growth in agriculture, livestock and fisheries must come from improved efficiency and productivity through the government intervention in shape of various incentives on seeds, fertilizers and easy credit facility.

Credit: INP-WealthPk