Pakistan faces a looming food crisis as relentless rains and catastrophic floods devastate farmlands across the country. The United Nations and farmers’ groups have warned that the destruction of key crops will not only deepen inflation but also leave millions struggling for survival in the coming months.
Torrential Rains and Rising Waters
Torrential monsoon rains have battered Pakistan for weeks, unleashing massive floods that continue to spread destruction. Punjab, the country’s largest province and its food basket, has taken the hardest hit. Entire villages, schools, and health centers lie submerged. Livestock has been swept away, and ready-to-harvest crops stand ruined.
Officials confirm that nearly 50 people have lost their lives so far, while over 2 million people have been directly affected. Evacuations have crossed 700,000 as families rush to higher ground to escape the rising waters.
Floodwaters Moving South
Authorities fear the worst is yet to come. The surging waters are now flowing into the Indus River and making their way southward. Sindh province, already vulnerable due to low-lying land and fragile embankments, may face widespread devastation in the coming days.
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mo Yahya, after touring flood-hit Hafizabad, described the scenes as grim. “Flooded rice fields stretch as far as the eye can see. Farmers now face months without crops or income until the next planting season,” he said in a statement.
Climate Change Worsening Disasters
Yahya linked the recurring devastation to climate change. “This isn’t normal — yet it’s becoming the new normal. Monsoons, driven by climate change, now bring fear and devastation to communities across Pakistan,” he warned.
The UN official emphasized that this was not just another natural disaster but a signal of how climate change is reshaping the country’s weather patterns. With heavier rains predicted in the coming weeks, more communities are at risk of displacement, hunger, and economic loss.
Major Crops Destroyed
Farmers’ associations paint a dire picture of agricultural losses. Waqar Ahmad, Secretary General of the Kisan Board of Pakistan, revealed that three main crops — rice, sugarcane, and sesame — have suffered massive destruction.
According to estimates, nearly 70 percent of the rice crop, a major export earner for Pakistan, has already been lost. Rice-producing districts in Punjab have seen entire fields drowned, leaving little chance of recovery.
The sugarcane and sesame crops have also taken severe blows, threatening both domestic supply and export potential. “This is a catastrophe for farmers who rely on these crops for their livelihood,” Ahmad stressed.
Threat from Across the Border
Adding to the worries, farmers fear more destruction if India releases additional floodwaters into Pakistan. Ahmad warned that any such move would wipe out whatever remains of the already devastated standing crops. With fragile embankments and overflowing rivers, the impact could be disastrous for rural communities.
Read: Punjab Floods Force School Closures and Trigger High Alerts in Rivers
Food Inflation on the Horizon
The floods are not only a rural tragedy but also a looming urban crisis. Waheed Ahmad, head of the Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association, warned that the destruction of vegetables and fruits across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will push food prices sharply upward.
“This will not stay confined to villages. Consumers across Pakistan will face soaring prices for basic food items,” he said. He added that markets were already showing early signs of shortages, with vegetables becoming costlier by the day.
Calls for Immediate Measures
To prevent a full-scale food shortage, exporters and growers have urged the government to act quickly. One immediate step, Waheed Ahmad suggested, would be lifting levies on imports of vegetables and fruits from Afghanistan and Iran. Such a measure could help bridge supply gaps and ease pressure on markets until domestic production recovers.
Human Toll Rising
Beyond the numbers, the human toll of the floods grows by the day. Families displaced from their homes now crowd into makeshift shelters on high ground. In Multan and other parts of Punjab, victims line up for food in temporary camps. Many have lost not only their homes but also their source of income as fields remain submerged.
Health risks are also mounting. With stagnant water spreading across vast areas, the chances of waterborne diseases are increasing. The destruction of health centers in rural areas makes the challenge even harder to manage. Relief efforts continue, but the sheer scale of the disaster has overwhelmed local authorities.
A Test of Resilience
The unfolding crisis underscores Pakistan’s growing vulnerability to climate-induced disasters. Farmers, aid workers, and officials all agree that stronger infrastructure, better water management, and climate adaptation strategies are needed to shield communities from future catastrophes.
For now, the immediate priority is survival. Millions await relief, food, and medicine as the floods continue their march southward. The full scale of the damage will only become clear in the weeks ahead, but the warning signs of a food crisis are already evident.
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