Crop damages from rains revealed

The Sindh Agriculture Department has released preliminary data on the damage caused to crops by recent downpours in the province.

Agriculture Minister Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Mehr on Monday said that the monsoon rains have resulted in significant losses to farmers, totaling Rs86.86 billion. "Crops on 541,351 acres of land have been destroyed, with the cotton crop on 293,580 acres suffering considerable damage", he added.

The minister detailed the impact on specific crops; the standing rice crop on 35,271 acres has been completely destroyed, while 269,016 acres have experienced partial damage. Additionally, 53,195 acres of date palm groves are fully damaged, and 32,849 acres have seen partial damage.

The damage extends to sugarcane, with 26,382 acres completely destroyed and 69,689 acres partially affected. He further added that the unusual rainfall has led to a 21% loss in cotton crops and a 41% loss in dates. Other affected crops include tomatoes 3.4%, sesame 22%, onions 58%, chilies 12%, and vegetables 18%.

The minister also mentioned the districts including Badin, Dadu, Ghotki, Sukkur, Hyderabad, Larkana, Sanghar, Thatta, Sujawal, Mirpurkhas, Khairpur, Umerkot, Tando Allahyar, Shikarpur, Nawabshah, Matiari, Tando Muhammad Khan, and Tharparkar are affected by the rainfall damage.

In response to the damage, Mehr has instructed officials of the agriculture department to implement immediate measures to protect and salvage the partially damaged crops, aiming to mitigate further losses.