These farmers are unlikely to return to their areas until the floodwater pulls back from their fields, growers' leaders say.

Besides, the growers' ability to cultivate the winter season crops has been seriously affected as their standing Kharif crops have been ruined and their seeds, fertiliser, farm machinery and other essential inputs washed away. The irrigation network in the affected districts is ruptured and tube wells have become dysfunctional.

Abdul Majeed Nizamani, president of Sindh Abadgar Board believes that Sindh will remain in deep trouble for many years to come. Rabi crops cannot be planted in absence of proper drainage system for pulling out the floodwater from farmlands.

“The fields will remain submerged under the floodwater, with the growers unable to cultivate crops,” he believes. Officials in the provincial irrigation and agriculture department are also not optimistic about the Rabi sowing season. Most of the inundated farmlands are much below the level of Indus bank and the floodwater is facing difficulty in receding into the river. It will take months for the agriculture lands to become ready for cultivation. According to reports, on an average 4-5 feet water is still standing in the farmlands, spread over a large area.

The Rabi season kicks off normally from November 1 and continues till January 10. Wheat, cotton, sugarcane, gram, lentil, onion, potato, sunflower, canola and barley are major crops of the season.

Professor Dr Shamsuddin Tunio of the Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, remarked The floods would erode fertile layers of soil and if water remains standing in the farmlands for a long duration, the next season's crop may not be grown. If otherwise, per acre yield of the crops will be around 20-30 per cent.”

No effort is being made by the irrigation department for draining out the floodwater from farm fields. Lack of machinery, manpower, and finances have been underlined as major causes for it.

Some government and agriculture officials see the possibility of seeds planted after the floodwaters recede, leading to a good harvest.

But, some government officials rule out the possibility for at least Rabi seed plantation any time soon. “The crops can be only planted once the waters are out of the fields, But, for the time being there are no indications for such thing to happen in near future,” insists Mohammad Amin Thebo, director crop reporting of the provincial agriculture department.

Water logging level in the cultivable lands has also gone up sharply in the wake of inundation, which is another threat to the Rabi sowing and the next Kharif crops' cultivation. The water table has also increased by many feet during last one month.

“The resultant erosion and submerged conditions might also spoil the farmlands' fertility and lead to water logging of soils. Such lands will need proper rehabilitation for obtaining better productivity,” Amin Thebo told this scribe. “The problem is likely to affect badly the cultivation of winter season crops this year.”

Agriculture lands in Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Larkana, Shahdadkot, Thatta and parts of Dadu districts have been hit by the deluge. I don't see any chance of the Rabi crops being planted this year, at least in these districts,” Secretary Agriculture Sindh Agha Jan Akhtar said.

Dr Qaiser Bengali, adviser to Sindh Chief Minister, has warned of a looming food crisis due to bleak prospects of the Rabi sowing. “Impact of the food crisis will be damaging on the economy if necessary commodities were not imported in time,” he predicted.

The forthcoming Rabi season will see a negative impact on wheat, tomato, pulses, vegetables and poultry produce,. he cautioned.

The adviser categorically said that at least 50 per cent of land in Sindh districts including Kashmore, Shikarpur, Jakobabad, Shahdakot, Dadu, Larkana and Thatta would not be usable for cultivation of any crop until after April 2011.

The provincial government which is presently tied to providing immediate relief to flood-hit IDPs, is also mulling incentives for the affected farmers for growing the Rabi crops, said officials in the agriculture department.

The agriculture secretary explained “We are working on a plan of incentives and measures such as provision of free seeds or at subsidised rates. We do have the scale of devastation to the farming sector in mind and we are doing as much as we can to control it and hopefully turn it around with the help of farming community.”