There is a dire need for the government to take preemptive steps to prevent the food crisis that is looming in the wake of recent floods, Pakistan Industrial & Traders Associations Front (PIAF) Chairman Faheem Ur Rehman Saigol said in a press statement received by WealthPK.

Saigol mentioned the destruction of crops of cotton, rice and essential vegetables and the threat of missing out the season of wheat cultivation because of water in the plain areas. He asked for the government to mobilize resources to avert the impending food calamity. “The floods have caused widespread devastation of crops and livelihoods and now the food crisis that it will bring in its wake threatens the livelihoods of millions more who live in cities and areas which were not affected by the floods. It falls on the shoulders of the government to improve governance and ensure the timely cultivation of crops for the next season while also ensuring the requisition of food items from alternative sources,” he added.

Saigol said the prices of food items had reached new heights following the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the global wheat supply crunch. Russian and Ukraine, combined, supply 27% of global wheat. Adding fuel to the fire, floods in Pakistan have exacerbated the problem by destroying crops and inundating the whole region that previously was used to grow wheat crop.”

“In those areas where cotton and vegetables were planted, whole crops have been washed away by the unrelenting floods,” he said. Commenting on the ravages of climate change, he said, “Pakistan has received the highest amount of rainfall in the last three decades combined. As of this month, a third of Pakistan is inundated because of this season’s monsoon. Pakistan is the fifth largest producer of cotton and these rains have destroyed half of this year’s crop yield. The damage to the global cotton supply will not only hurt the international market but also Pakistan, since the country will be deprived of essential revenues.”

He said that food costs have surged in the country with the price of tomatoes increasing by five times and the price of onions increasing threefold in less than a month. It is appreciable that government has started to procure these vegetables from various alternative sources like Iran and Afghanistan to prevent their shortage and prices getting out of hand. He added that World Food Program has also joined the effort of local governments and relief organizations to reach the people in distant areas who face food and medicine shortages after the floods. This, however, is not an easy task since floodwaters do not allow for easy movement of delivery vehicles and volunteers. More than 100 bridges and 3000 kilometers of roads have been washed away with the number of farm animals lost standing at upwards of 800,000. Also, two million acres of crops and orchards have been hit, he detailed.

He said that inflation rates in the country are at a high of 14 years with consumer price index recording a growth of 27% in the recent bout. Cultivation of wheat crop will also be challenging, since water has not receded from the areas of cultivation, and the country is already facing a crunch of 2.6 million tons.

Saigol said that the agriculture sector was the worst hit by the recent floods with many crops destroyed and many more affected. Cotton crop in Sindh which accounts for 30% of national cotton production has been destroyed almost completely. This represents a loss of $1 billion. This loss will multiply when shortage of cotton crop will hit manufacturing industry. The costs of rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure will be huge with as many as five years in the process.

He said that the whole business community stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Pakistan in these trying times, as it is committed to working with the government and other development partners to help Pakistan overcome the devastating impact of this natural disaster and provide immediate relief to affected families.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk