The Pakistani government has been urged to announce a relief package and incentives for flood-affected farmers to revive the agriculture sector and thwart a possible food crisis in the country, WealthPK reports.

The recent floods have inflicted unprecedented losses on farmers. The floods have swept away fertile agricultural lands, destroyed standing crops and perished a large number of domestic animals.

Talking to a delegation of flood-hit farmers from across the country, led by Haris Ahmad, chairman of United Business Group (UBG) in the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Shahzad Ali Malik said that the devastating floods badly affected the agriculture sector.

He said that besides standing crops, wheat stores were also damaged by the floods. He said that the unprecedented losses to the agriculture sector could cause a food crisis in the country. “The damage to the agriculture sector can also be felt across the globe,” he added.

Shahzad Malik said that Pakistan was one of the top producers and exporters of cotton and rice crops that were devastated by the recent floods. “Half of our cotton has been destroyed. It is an alarm to global cotton production in a year when its prices have soared as other major producers from the US to China have also been hit hard by the extreme weather,” he said.

He said that high inflation caused a hike in the prices of basic goods in Pakistan and made it difficult for farmers to buy agricultural inputs.

Shahzad Malik said that floodwater could also affect the cultivation of wheat which could cause a shortage of food items in the country. “It is alarming prospects for Pakistan as it depends on wheat production to feed its people at a time when global wheat supplies are precarious,” he added.

The recent floods and incessant rains destroyed 50% of crops in Sindh, which produces around one-third of the food items in the country. The floods caused losses in the whole country.

“The UN Secretary-General has already announced that the world is facing an unprecedented global hunger crisis. The authorities must bear in mind this statement while devising plans to offset this threat well on time,” said Shahzad Malik.

He urged the government to announce a relief package for flood-hit farmers and rehabilitate the affected people on priority bases.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk