Govt urged to declare agri-emergency

Farmers face plummeting yields as climate change, high costs burden sector

LAHORE:

Pakistan Kissan Ittehad President Khalid Mahmood Khokhar has warned that climate change is severely impacting the country's agriculture sector, leading to drastically reduced yields in key crops like sesame, rice, and cotton. During a media briefing on Tuesday, Khokhar highlighted the devastating effects of the recent heatwave, which saw temperatures soar to 48°C with a heat index reaching an unprecedented 60°C.

Khokhar revealed that sesame yields have plummeted to 2-3 mounds per acre this year, down from 10-12 mounds per acre last year. Similarly, rice yields have fallen from 80-120 mounds per acre to just 5-50 mounds. Cotton production in Punjab has also taken a significant hit, dropping from 636,848 bales last year to 392,768 bales this year. Nationally, cotton production has halved, from 2.11 million bales last year to 1.07 million bales by mid-August 2024. He also noted a sharp decline in commodity prices, with rice falling from Rs4,400 per mound last year to Rs2,200 this year, and cotton prices dropping to Rs6,000-7,000 per mound. Meanwhile, the cost of farming inputs continues to rise, with fertiliser prices surging to Rs4,600 per bag of urea. Khokhar called for a reduction in urea prices to Rs3,000-3,500 to make it affordable for farmers.

The electricity tariff for agricultural tube wells has been set at Rs55-70 per unit, compared to Rs48 per unit for industry. Khokhar argued that this rate should be reduced and brought below the industrial tariff, as it historically was half of industrial rates. Khokhar warned that the agriculture sector's growth rate, which was 6.2%—the highest of any sector—could plummet to -2% if current government policies continue. He cited the tragic example of Imran Yousuf from Haroonabad, who committed suicide due to his inability to pay electricity bills. He concluded with a call for the government to declare an agricultural emergency and initiate a grand dialogue to address the challenges posed by climate change. Without urgent action, he warned, Pakistan could face a severe food security crisis and declining exports.