The Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to declare an agricultural emergency amidst widespread flooding that has devastated large swathes of Punjab, risking national food security and economic stability.
In a letter, the representative body said preliminary assessments suggested the floods had destroyed around 60% of this season’s rice crop, 35% of cotton, and 30% of sugarcane in Punjab. The floods are now sweeping toward Sindh, where they risk destroying even more agricultural output.
“The scale of devastation is staggering,” reads the letter, noting the country was unlikely to match its agricultural targets for this fiscal year. It stressed on immediate defensive measures for Sindh to ensure it does not suffer a similar calamity.
Highlighting that economic losses are already in the billions of rupees, the PBF said the floods had devastated rural livelihoods and placed additional stress on the overall economy, especially if a food shortage develops. It warned that any delay in taking corrective action could result in a protracted humanitarian and economic emergency.
Describing the situation as unprecedented, the forum has proposed the declaration of a national agricultural emergency and called for the provision of interest-free loans of up to Rs. 2 million for small and medium-sized farmers to support replantation and recovery efforts. It has also called for expediting critical canal infrastructure projects in Punjab and Sindh to improve water management and resilience against future floods.
Appreciating the government’s broader efforts for economic stability, the forum warned that the prevailing situation required a focused response beyond business as usual. It said the government should commence work on preparing for future floods by removing illegal encroachments along riverbanks, strengthening provincial irrigation and revenue departments, and implementing community-level water storage systems as part of a sustainable flood management strategy.
The PBF has also called for the activation of district price control committees to curb hoarding and profiteering, stressing that in the face of supply shortages, the Economic Coordination Committee should authorize the import of wheat and rice through both public and private sector channels.
The forum said it was ready to work closely with the government to craft and execute a policy framework aimed at stabilizing the agricultural sector and securing the country’s food security.