The unprecedented monsoon rains and widespread flooding in Pakistan have badly damaged cash crops including dates, oil seeds, pulses vegetables, tobacco, and fruit orchards standing over thousands of hectares.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, flash floods destroyed about 55% of oil seeds crop cultivated over 432 acres during the current season, an official of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research told WealthPK.

Out of the total oil seed cultivated areas about 237 acres were damaged, he said, adding that vegetables cultivated over 938 acres also vanished in the province.

Over 2% of fruit orchards standing over 98 acres were destroyed, he said. While about 26% of pulses cultivated over 863 acres were also damaged by the floods.

About 91% of date trees were damaged as 2,556 acres of the area under date production were destroyed due to the recent calamity, the official said, adding that 6% of the tobacco crop was also damaged in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

In Sindh province, he said the flood also damaged date trees standing over 101,379, adding that Kharif chillies grown over 29,622 acres were destroyed.

The floods destroyed onion crops over 42,268 acres. Onion from Sindh was an important cash crop and a vital source to meet domestic demand, he added.

Meanwhile, tomatoes crop over 12,101 acres, and Kharif vegetables over 30,718 acres were also damaged due to which their prices witnessed an upsurge.

Similarly, in Balochistan province fruit orchards standing over 21,960 acres were damaged by recent floods, whereas different seasonal vegetables cultivated over 14,882 acres were also destroyed.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk