Talking to a private news channel, FAO spokesman Ali Khan said that FAO has decided to start its rapid response for the surviving livestock in the province.

The organisation would provide fodder and start vaccination of the surviving animals to avoid further loss of livestock in the province, he said.

Ali said that livestock was the main component of the rural economy, major source of livelihood of thousands of families, and a source of their daily food as well.

Besides, crops including cotton, sugarcane, chillies and vegetables standing over 2 million acre were also destroyed in the flood, he added.

The cotton crop in the flood-affected districts of the province was 100 percent destroyed and the sugarcane crop faced partial damage, he added.

The FAO would also provide seeds and fertilisers to the farmers for the upcoming Rabbi season to help ensure food security, he said.

In this regard, rapid assessment was under way, which would help for identifying the areas where sowing would be possible during current rabbi season, Ali said.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011