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ISLAMABAD, Oct 27: Rain-fed agriculture and vegetation in Pakistan has been severely affected by up to 80 per cent below normal rains during the last winter cropping season resulting in total cereal production in 2001 estimated to be 13 per cent below last year’s harvest.
A special report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization warns that rain-fed wheat production, estimated at about 541,000 tons in 2001, was nearly 70 per cent below the average of the last five years and 62 per cent below last year’s reduced crop. However, as about 90 per cent of wheat production is irrigated, the overall impact of the drought was not as great, the report says.
According to the report, total wheat production, irrigated and rain-fed, in 2001 was estimated at 18.73 million tons, significantly below the 21 million tons harvested last year.
The 2001 rice crop, planted from May for harvest in October and November, was forecast at reduced 3.9 million tons due to water shortages in irrigation schemes, compared to 4.8 million tons in year 2000 and the average of 4.6 million tons for the last five years.
“With additional coarse grains crop of about 1.9 million tons, total cereal production in 2001 is therefore, estimated at 26.5 million tons, 13 per cent below last year’s harvest.”
FAO special report states that overall cereal supplies will be just sufficient to meet the consumption requirements in the 2001-2002 marketing year. “Rice exports are anticipated to be lower than last year’s volume of two million tons.” The prolonged drought has seriously eroded the food security of a large number of farmers, particularly in Balochistan, parts of Sindh and Cholistan in Punjab, the report points out.
An FAO and World Food Programme (WFP) Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission that visited the country in May and June 2001 found that rainfall was between 50 and 80 per cent below normal in most parts of the country during the last winter cropping season (January-March 2001). Last year’s monsoon rainfall was also more than 40 per cent below normal. Consequently, rain-fed agriculture and vegetation in the grazing lands were severely affected.
AFGHANISTAN: FAO special report’s section on Afghanistan warns of a deepening food crisis which poses a serious threat of mass starvation, especially at a time when the food supply position in the neighbouring countries is also seriously undermined by a prolonged drought. “This year’s food production in Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan has suffered a significant reduction due to serious drought. The unfavourable food supply situation, which has prompted emergency food assistance in some of these countries, therefore gives little comfort to millions of displaced and resident Afghans who in the past could meet part of their food needs with supplies from neighbouring countries.”
Pakistan and Iran have been supporting millions of refugees from past conflicts but their capacity to cope with the new arrivals is seriously compromised due to insufficient resources.
According to the report, even before the events of 11 September, Afghanistan was gripped by a grave food crisis following three consecutive years of drought and intensifying economic problems due to continuing civil war.
While the majority of the around 23 million Afghans are facing severe food supply difficulties, some 7.5 million most affected people are in desperate need of food aid.
FAO warns that the current adverse situation coincides with the planting season for wheat which accounts for 80 per cent of the country’s total cereal production. “With the population largely on the move, serious shortages of inputs and a disruption of farming activities by military operations, cereal production in 2001 to meet consumption needs during 2001-2002 is set to decline significantly, further aggravating the already grave food supply situation in the country.”
