The heavy recent rains in Pakistan’s south have caused critical damage to the country’s agriculture industry, just one year after some of the worst flooding the country had ever seen swamped the same areas.
The southern Sindh province has been the most badly affected by the floods, which have reportedly affected over 6m people.
Agricultural losses are estimated at Rs271bn (US$3.09bn), according to surveys conducted by the Sindh Abadgar Board.
While the bulk of the damage was to rise, cotton and livestock production, horticulture has also taken a pounding, particularly tomato and onion production in the Badin and Thatta districts, according to reports from Pakistan’s The News.
Vegetable and banana production have also been affected, said Kevin Gallagher, Pakistan representative for the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
“We have lost US$180m through the destruction of tomato, onion, banana and other vegetable crops,” he told the Express Tribune.
The loss of crops is expected to flow through the Pakistan’s exports, with one independent economist quoted by the Tribune predicting a US$3bn loss to the country from missed trade opportunities.
This year’s flood damage is compounded by the fact many farmers and businesses had still not recovered from last year’s damage.
“This catastrophe struck before families affected by last year’s flooding were able to even start recovering,” said Mr Gallagher.
With floodwaters still high, the final damage toll could take some time to come in.
