Farmers of rice, maize and cotton may have to suffer a loss of Rs 300 billion as their crops suffered severe damages due to climate change which caused prolonged hot season in the province.

Cotton is the worst hit crop which may receive not more than 5 million bales this year, said Punjab Water Council (PWC) Convener Farooq Bajwa while talking to Business Recorder here on Tuesday.

Bajwa said though area under cultivation of rice and maize had increased this year but climatic changes had left their negative impact on these crops. He said area under rice cultivation had increased to 5-5.2 million acres while area under cultivation of cotton had reduced to 4.5 million acres from 5.5 million acres. He said that area under maize and sugarcane had also increased in the province but again farmers were hurt because of climatic changes. He said this year rate of the commodities was also low which would further hurt the growers. He lamented that the government was paying a deaf ear to farmers' plight. He questioned that why finance availability for industrial sector is more than the agriculture which is producing the raw material for our major exportable industries.

Farooq Bajwa to a question claimed that there was no benefit of the crop insurance scheme as he alleged that banks only cover the amount of loan they extend to growers and practically farmers get nothing as compensation of their losses. He urged the government to take immediate steps for assessing the actual losses and extending relief to the growers to make them able to sow the next crops.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019