Crops and the climate

In its report for FY2014-15, the State Bank has painted a dismal picture of the agriculture sector. According to its third quarterly report, though the livestock subsector helped agriculture surpass the previous year’s growth level, the overall growth fell short of the target for the third consecutive year. One of the key concerns is the decline in the yield of all our major crops except cotton. The crop sector suffered from heavy rains during the Kharif season and prolonged low temperatures in the Rabi season, low prices received by growers during the last season, use of poor quality seeds and inefficient application of fertiliser.
Climate change is a major threat to agriculture and our failure to adapt to the changes will worsen the situation. Protecting agriculture and water from deleterious impacts of climate change is indispensable for boosting agriculture productivity in the country. Food and water security cannot be achieved as long as the agriculture sector remains vulnerable to climate risks and is unable to sustain climate-induced disasters such as floods, heavy rains, hailstorms and shifting weather patterns. In view of these, there is a strong need to educate farmers about best agriculture practices to improve the crop yield. Moreover, the provision of subsidies on various heads in a bid to give relief to loss-bearing farmers is required.
Khan Faraz
Peshawar