REAP disputes Punjab rice crop loss estimates

KARACHI: The Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) has challenged reports suggesting that as much as 60 per cent of Punjab’s rice (paddy) crop has been destroyed by recent floods, asserting instead that only 10 to 12 per cent of the crop has been affected.

Speaking to The News, Senior Vice Chairperson of REAP Javed Jillani said that around 90 per cent of the paddy crop in Punjab remained safe despite the widespread flooding. He based his assessment on unofficial survey data gathered by local farmers, with some information also collected from provincial authorities.

“Rice farmers should not panic. The water at Punjab’s barrages is already receding, and it is expected to pass safely through Sindh as well,” Jillani said. He added that REAP would support not just rice growers but also other communities impacted by the disaster.

According to the survey shared with The News, approximately 712,000 acres of paddy crop have been damaged in Punjab. This figure represents a fraction of the province’s 36.8 million acres of total land, of which around 27 million acres are under cultivation. While rice is a major kharif crop in Punjab, it accounts for only part of this agricultural land. Jillani emphasised that the floods had affected between 600,000 and 700,000 acres of rice fields, but once the floodwaters recede, the excess water could even benefit paddy crops, which typically require higher amounts of water to thrive. The survey also revealed that a total of 1.326 million acres of different crops had been impacted by the floods, including cotton, paddy, maize, sugarcane, vegetables, fodder, and other crops. District-level data indicated that the most extensive damage to paddy was reported in Gujranwala, where 193,000 acres were affected, followed by Gujrat with 188,000 acres.

In terms of overall crop losses across different types of cultivation, Faisalabad emerged as the worst-hit district with 323,000 acres damaged, followed by Gujranwala with 262,000 acres and Gujrat with 238,000 acres.

While REAP’s estimates are significantly lower than some initial claims of catastrophic paddy crop losses, the organisation stressed that the final scale of damage would depend on weather patterns in the coming weeks. “If further rains or flooding occur, the impact on rice cultivation could be more severe. At present, however, farmers should remain calm,” Jillani cautioned.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has released its own assessment of the human and infrastructural toll of the recent floods. According to the NDMA, between June 26 and September 2, 2025, the floods resulted in 881 fatalities, including 510 men, 134 women, and 237 children, and left 1,176 people injured, comprising 565 men, 289 women and 322 children. The floods also damaged 9,206 households across Punjab, partially or fully, and inflicted major destruction on infrastructure. Around 671 kilometres of roads were washed away, 239 bridges destroyed, and 6,180 head of livestock lost. The worst-hit communities were in Sialkot, Kasur, Lahore and Sheikhupura, where residents faced deaths, injuries, housing collapses and livestock losses as flash floods and heavy rains swept through the region.

While the full impact on agriculture remains uncertain, unofficial data indicates that the rice sector, critical to both domestic consumption and exports, has avoided the catastrophic losses initially feared. Still, stakeholders warn that the situation could change quickly if more rain falls in already saturated areas.