KARACHI, Sept 18: Paddy crop has been severely affected by heavy rains in upper Sindh with some 370,658 acres of fields submerged in Jacobabad and Kashmore districts.
The initial estimates mark as much as 50 per cent losses in paddy crop in Shikarpur, Larkana and adjacent paddy growing districts in the province.
“It would be inappropriate to write off paddy crops in these areas as the damage would depend on the situation of drainage of water from these fields,” said Secretary Agriculture Agha Jan Akhtar, adding that if the flood water stayed in the fields over a week it would be difficult to save the crop.
He said that paddy is more resilient than cotton and if the water drains out in a week the crop would survive. “It’s per acre yield may fall as the rain water increases salinity in the soil”.
He said that the paddy crops in Jacobabad and Kashmore districts face greater danger because of water torrents entering Sindh from Balochistan mountains. Efforts are being made to drain the flood water through natural drains to save the settled areas from floods.
The secretary said that the fate of paddy crops in the affected districts would be known after a week. He said that heavy rains caused more damage than floods as the latter has positive effects on crops. He cited example of Badin, Thatta and Sajawal where last year rains played havoc with crops.
Meanwhile, Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) observed that most of the paddy plantations were damaged in areas where sowing was delayed due to late arrival of water. Since the height of paddy saplings was small they were washed away in heavy rains. The crop however suffered less damage in areas where sowing started earlier.
The SAB secretary general Mahmood Nawaz projected 90 per cent damages in paddy growing areas situated on the Right Bank including Jacobabad, Kashmore and Shikarpur. The damage to paddy crop in other upper Sindh districts has been estimated at 60 to 70 per cent while in lower Sindh area it is reported to be about 25 per cent.
The sugarcane crop benefited from rains and is expected to give bumper results during the crushing season ahead.
Mahmood Nawaz said that the rain has caused losses of Rs12 to 15 billion to the cotton growers as the inclement weather delayed picking.