Pakistan Business Forum urges ‘agricultural emergency’ as floods devastate crops

The Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) has urged the federal government to declare an agricultural emergency as floods devastate crops across Punjab, warning that Sindh’s agricultural sector is likely to be hit next.

Ahmad Jawad, the forum’s chief organizer, said in a statement that thousands of acres of standing crops in central and southern Punjab have been destroyed, with rice, cotton, and sugarcane yields expected to decline sharply this fiscal year. “Such destruction in central Punjab due to flooding has never been witnessed before,” he said.

The forum cautioned that floodwaters are still surging southward to merge with the Indus River, threatening further farmland and worsening both the economic and humanitarian fallout. While a full damage assessment is not yet available, early reports suggest farmers’ losses already run into billions of rupees.

Crop damage and human impact

Preliminary estimates indicate that Punjab has lost about 60% of its rice crop and 30% of sugarcane sowing, while cotton production is down an estimated 35% from targets. In the Sargodha region, kinnow orchards have suffered a 17% reduction in yield, particularly around Midh Ranjha.

Flooding across the Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej river basins has already affected more than 1.8 million people and inundated hundreds of villages.

Policy demands

Jawad urged the government to direct banks to provide interest-free loans of up to PKR 2 million for farmers with five to 15 acres of land to help them recover. “The government’s agricultural targets for this fiscal year appear increasingly unachievable... even achieving 1% of the set goal seems difficult now,” he said.

The PBF also called for urgent operations to clear illegal encroachments along riverbanks, warning that delays could further undermine food security. It pressed provincial governments to strengthen their revenue and irrigation departments to handle recurring flood challenges.

Jawad argued that instead of building new dams, Pakistan should establish systems to store floodwater along riversides to make better use of excess water. He criticized agricultural planning as “ineffective and experimental”, saying, “We are running our agricultural sector on a hit-and-trial basis, whereas this water could have been a blessing.”

The forum warned that the flood damage will push food inflation higher in the coming months. Wheat, rice, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, milk, and eggs are among the most vulnerable items, while pulses and other food staples could also come under pressure depending on the scale of losses.

“We must take comprehensive, day-and-night measures before the next monsoon season,” Jawad said.