LAHORE: Punjab Agriculture Officials have said that it has been estimated that five to six percent of the wheat crop has been damaged due to recent heavy rains and hailstorms in different districts of the province, worth Rs23 billion. Several districts have been experiencing rains and hailstorms over the past two weeks, uprooting plants and leaving nearly 50 percent of standing crops stagnant, while farmers have estimated that the stubble crop is up to 70 percent.
According to data from the Agriculture Department, out of 16.014 million acres of wheat spread over 16.014 million acres, 800,000 acres have been partially damaged and 30,000 acres have been completely destroyed in the rains till March 30, 2023. Dr Abdul Qayyum, director of Punjab Crop Reporting Service, said that Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib districts were among the worst affected areas where crop loss has been estimated at around 40 percent, followed by Muzaffargarh (14.8 percent), Sahiwal (14 percent), Toba Tek Singh (12.9 percent), Okara (12.5 percent), Bhakkar (10.5 percent), and Pakpattan (10.2 percent).
Farmers, on the other hand, have questioned the figure and claimed that the actual losses were much higher than the official estimates. Wheat is the main crop of Punjab and the loss has occurred at a time when inflation is piling up in the country and food security remains a problem due to global uncertainty.
