New crops, livestock less vulnerable to climate change to be developed

Islamabad :The climate change ministry would obtain input from the relevant experts belonging to both the public and private sectors to develop new breeds of livestock and varieties of crops, which are less vulnerable to adverse impacts of the climate change.

According to a policy framework, the agriculture sector is facing five major risks caused by climate change including sea level, glacial retreats, floods, higher average temperature and frequency of droughts.

"The crops like banana, tomato and seasonal vegetable and fruit crops are facing threats due to unpredictable changes in the weather pattern in Sindh.  Cotton was once an important crop for Faisalabad, but now it is not grown there anymore.

The situation is quite similar in other areas of the country where the climate change is adversely affecting the seasonal crops," it said. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in its report said the climate change was a major threat to Pakistan and a greater risk to food security and predicted a decline in production of wheat by 1.5-2.5 per cent and of rice by two-four per cent by 2020. Global warming will raise the occurrence and strength of extreme events i.e. flood, drought, cyclone that would harm the agriculture production and also affect the water balance in future.

An official said the input from the experts would help develop a mechanism not only to protect the existing range of crops from the climate change but also introduce new breeds that can have resistance against the adverse weather conditions.