Cotton, rice & sugarcane: damages to cash crops to severely hit exports, claims PMKM

Pakistan Muttahida Kissan Mahaz (PMKM) claimed cotton crop over 1,600,000 acres of land, rice over 1,400,000 acres and sugarcane crop over approximately 4,500,000 acres of land has been damaged because of the ongoing flood creating apprehensions about severely impacting the exports of Pakistan.
PMKM Chief Ayub Khan Mayo in a statement issued here on Tuesday claimed that cotton was sown over an area of 5,813,000 acres of land in the province, out of which 23 percent had been destroyed; river over 4,743,000 acres damaged crop over 27 percent and sugarcane by 23 percent out of the total area of 1,720,000 acres of land under its cultivation.
He said maize crop figures were not available as it was in the progress of sowing. However, he said that damage to those cash crops would also hit exports of Pakistan rather Pakistan might had to import sugar and cotton to meet the domestic requirements putting additional pressure on the finance of the country.
PMKM Chairman also expressed the fear that as flood water was heading towards Sindh it might double the damage caused to different crops till date. He also criticised the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and commissioner for issuing just political statements. He drew the attention of the government towards the loss caused by the flood and urged to declare flood-affected districts as calamity-hit and waive off Abiana and small agricultural loans of the growers. He also demanded of the government for an immediate compensation to losses suffered by the growers because of flood.