ISLAMABAD: The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned that the devastating floods in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could severely disrupt Pakistan’s upcoming Rabi planting season.
According to FAO’s preliminary assessment, 1.3 million hectares were inundated nationwide, including 0.93 million hectares of cropland. Vast swathes of farmland, standing crops, and seed reserves have been washed away, putting food security and livelihoods under strain.
Punjab was worst affected, raising concerns over the availability of wheat seed for the 2025–26 Rabi and the following Kharif season, Pakistan’s Dawn Newspaper reported.
Seeds and fodder in short supply
The report said that around half of Pakistan’s wheat seed comes from farmers’ own saved grain—most of which was lost in flooded homesteads. While 80–90% of seed in the formal sector remains available, FAO warned that rising demand and high prices could push farmers to sell seed as food grain, tightening future supplies.
Flooding also destroyed fodder, leaving only 45% of seed available in the formal market. Livestock owners are facing soaring feed costs and in some areas have been forced into distress sales. Stagnant water and overcrowded shelters are compounding the risks of livestock disease outbreaks.
Crop damage across provinces
Punjab recorded major losses across rice, cotton, and sugarcane. Rice alone suffered damage to nearly 189,000 hectares—over 7% of the crop—mainly in Sialkot, Narowal and Gujranwala. Cotton losses stood at 84,000 hectares, while sugarcane damage reached 23,000 hectares.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 62,000 hectares were flooded, including 51,000 hectares of cropland, while Sindh saw 74,500 hectares submerged, damaging more than 43,000 hectares of crops.
