ISLAMABAD: Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman on Saturday advised farmers to take necessary precautions and mitigation measures to minimise losses and damages in the face of an imminent spell of heavy rainfall in the country.

In a statement, the federal minister said that the agricultural and livestock sectors were expected to experience various impacts from the incoming weather system.

“High winds, heavy rains and hailstorms are likely to cause damage to the standing and recently harvested crops as well as adversely affect new sowing efforts,” she said.

She cautioned that fruit orchards might also be affected, with recently flowering or budding mango orchards at risk of damage from high winds and hailstorms.

“In response to the forecasted precipitation, farmers may need to rationalise their water usage for irrigation purposes. Additionally, open grazing during periods of high winds, thunderstorms, or hailstorms will increase the risk to livestock,” she said.

Ms Rehman advised farmers to take mitigation measures as advised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and local authorities to prevent damage and losses to crops like wheat, cotton, gram, sugar cane and mango.

For wheat crops, harvesting should be done according to weather conditions and bales packed in smaller sizes with stalks facing upwards if there’s a risk of rain. In areas with no chance of rain, wheat harvesting and threshing should be completed as soon as possible in weed-free fields for the next crop.

She said that for cotton crops, sowing should be stopped in case of rain, following local advisories and guidelines from respective irrigation departments.

The minister advised farmers to take all necessary mitigative and precautionary measures like timely harvesting and safe storage to safeguard their crops and harvest. She said that livestock herders should also undertake necessary mitigating and precautionary measures like safe sheltering and provision of adequate water and fodder for sheltered livestock during adverse weather.

Citing a Food and Agriculture Organisa­tion’s report, she said Pakistan was among the 20 countries that were under threat of excessive rain due to the return of the El Nino oceanographic phenomenon in June.

“The re-emergence of the El Nino oceanic trend has the potential to unleash severe environmental calamities, including above-average rainfall, floods, droughts, and food scarcity,” the minister said.

“Alarmingly, Pakistan is among the 20 countries facing the spectre of more than normal rainfall and as we are still recuperating from the aftermath of last year’s floods, it is crucial that we prepare ourselves to deal with the looming threat of extreme environmental events to avoid falling into a recovery trap,” she said.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2023