Crops worth around Rs3.16 billion damaged in 2023-24
JAVED KHAN
PESHAWAR
An estimated Rs 3.16 billion worth of crops have been lost due to “hailstorm and heavy rainfall” in the Kharif (summer) season of 2023-24 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), according to a report by the Crops Reporting Service (CRS).
The report revealed that crops standing on an area of more than 47000 acres were damaged in the province this year due to incessant rains and hailstorms.
Wheat, Maize, Fodder Sugarcane, Tomato, Barely, are considered major crops affected.
However, the list goes on to include Mustard, Fodder, Gram, Shaftal, Potato, Vegetables, Onion, Fruits, Garlic, Tomato, Peas, Cauliflower, Persimmon, Peach, Beans, Barely, and Tobacco as well.
Official data shows that the crop worst hit by the rains in the summer season was Wheat. The crop was damaged on a cultivated area of 37624 acres against a total cultivated area of 1907338 acres.
Fodder was the second most affected crop in the rains as it lost 6331 acres of crops against the total standing crop of 63282.
Similarly, maize crops were cultivated on 1,196,544 acres of land. The expected loss in production due to rainfall was 17,515 metric tons.
During the year 2023-24, sugarcane crops were cultivated on 233,230 acres of land. Out of this, 134 acres suffered losses. The average yield was 595.500 metric tons per acre, while the expected loss in production due to rainfall was 3169,875 metric tons.
The market price was set at 400 rupees per 40 kilograms, resulting in an overall loss of Rs31.699 million for the sugarcane crop in the province.
In the report the provincial agriculture department directorate CRS estimated that production losses of Mustard, Fodder, Gram, clover, potato, vegetables, onion, fruit, ginger, tomato, peas, cauliflowers, persimmon, peach, garlic, Shaftal and other cash crops production losses stood at 9388.615 tons.
Beside other major crops, the heavy rainfall and hailstorms have also damaged more than 1,345 acres of the tobacco crop across the province.
According to KP Climate Change Policy 2022, the agriculture sector contributes to 20 percent of the provincial Gross Domestic Production (GDP) and employs 44pc of the labor force.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is located in the mid-latitude region of the globe. In the sixth annual assessment report of the IPCC, 2021, mid latitude regions have been warned of extreme weather patterns. Monsoon rainfall has been predicted to increase and go further up North due to warmer temperatures,” the policy said.
The policy highlighted that nearly the entire globe has witnessed surface warming. This will result in hotter, longer summers and shorter, milder winters, which will have a substantial impact on cropping patterns of KP.
