Climate Change Impacting Crops Yield In Pakistan: Experts

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Feb, 2020 ) :Crops across Pakistan are being infested by pests, following irregular rain patterns due to climate change, which is damaging the crops yield badly.

This was stated by experts on climate change, while talking to APP on Sunday. Environmentalist Mehmood Khalid Qamar said that climate change was a reality. According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) fifth assessment report, human activity was responsible for the unsustainable calamity.

Due to its diverse geographical and climatic feature situation, Pakistan was among the most vulnerable to climate changes, he added.

Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) environmental researcher Kashif Mehmood Salik said that climate change patterns had now reached alarming levels, causing various disasters in the form of floods, droughts and other natural calamities in the country.

He said that in the aftermath of the 2010's torrential floods, one fifth of the country's land area was submerged, adding that the torrential rains severely damaged the economy and agricultural infrastructure of the country.

The floods impacted the livelihoods of millions of people, leaving 90 million people food insecure. Similarly, in 2012, Pakistan was among those countries whose crops production was badly affected by the climate change effects.

Noted environmentalist Dr Sarwat N Mirza urged the government to establish research institutions regarding climate change, which could develop pest resistant cotton seeds, sustaining bad weather conditions.

He said that it was not only weather but also locust damages, which had caused heavy losses to growers in the country. He said that due to unavailability of Bt cotton, average yield was 16 maunds per acre, at a production cost of Rs40,000 per acre. Due to high temperatures, rice crop was being affected in Sindh and Punjab while maize was severely affected in Punjab, he added.

He said unexpected rainfall in August and September affected harvesting of cotton and onion, while production of tomatoes was also affected, which resulted in a huge increase in prices.

Dr Shahzad Basra told APP that Pakistan's agriculture was facing severe challenges due to negative consequences of climate change. He said that agriculture was considered as the back-bone of the economy of Pakistan and more than 60 per cent population of the country was attached directly or indirectly with the sector, adding that the sector had been affected due to climate change issues.