A winter drought is ravaging crops in Pakistan’s breadbasket, farmers said yesterday, with the region parched by a 40 percent drop in rainfall.
Pakistan — home to more than 240 million people — ranks among the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which scientists say is making extreme weather events more common and more severe.
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) says the farming heartland of eastern Punjab province saw 42 percent less rainfall than normal between the start of September and mid-January.
“The lack of rains has had a major financial impact on farmers, whether they have a big holding or a small one,” Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association Punjab chairman Malik Asghar told AFP.
“Potato is a staple in my area. The average is very low this year. Usually we could easily get 100 to 120 sacks per acre. This winter we have only gotten about 60 sacks per acre.”
The agriculture sector contributes nearly a quarter of Pakistan’s GDP and employs 37 percent of the national labour force, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
But Asghar said many small farmers “were already giving up” and looking for employment elsewhere.
