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The toll of extreme flooding on Pakistan’s food security is becoming apparent: large swathes of farmland under water, crops and food stocks washed away, homes and livelihoods wiped out.
The government warned that a food security crisis is looming. Rains and deadly floods have damaged rice and cotton crops, along with vegetables like onions and tomatoes. They also threaten wheat planting in the coming months at a time when the world can ill afford another disruption to grain supply.
Global prices of kitchen staples soared following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, driving food inflation to a record. The catastrophic flood, which is estimated to cost the economy $10 billion, is another hit to Pakistan that’s already battling an economic crisis. The damage to food supplies could boost Pakistan’s need for imports and increase the pressure on global agricultural markets.
“The agricultural sector is in turmoil. The cotton crop and vegetables are completely wiped out in many key areas,” said Ahmad Jawad, vice president of Pakistan Businesses Forum, who grows wheat, maize, citrus and sugarcane. “Wild weather just can’t give us a break. First the heat wave, now floods.”
Pakistan, among the most vulnerable globally to climate change according to the United Nations, has seen the highest rainfall in at least three decades. About a third of the country is currently flooded, the government estimates, and more than 1,100 people have lost their lives.
As much as half of Pakistan’s cotton crop has been damaged by torrential rains, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Tuesday, citing preliminary estimates. Pakistan is the fifth-largest cotton producer, accounting for 5% of global output. The damage could further shrink the world’s cotton supply.
Food costs have jumped in…
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Source : time
