ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman has called for urgent agricultural reforms to protect farmers devastated by this year’s destructive floods. She stressed the need for a national crop insurance policy along with emergency subsidies on seed and fertilizer to help farmers replant their fields.
In her media statement, Sherry Rehman said that floods have destroyed crops across 28 districts, pushing the country into an agricultural emergency. In Punjab alone, 60 percent of rice, 35 percent of cotton and 30 percent of sugarcane have been completely wiped out. She added that over 1.3 million acres of farmland along the eastern rivers are still under water, badly damaging Kharif crops, especially cotton.
The senator warned that the destruction of agricultural production could fuel food shortages and soaring inflation. She further noted that around two million people have been displaced and more than 2,000 villages are submerged. Satellite images reveal that 3,661 square kilometers of Punjab remain under water, which makes up 4.7 percent of the province’s total land area.
“Farmers and livestock holders are the hardest hit,” she said. “They have lost both crops and grazing lands and are left without capital or insurance cover.” She highlighted that Pakistan does not yet have a complete crop insurance policy due to financial and institutional barriers. Insurance companies and banks have resisted such measures, while government resources remain limited.
She pointed out that the Crop Loan Insurance Scheme launched in 2008 only covers bank borrowers and does not compensate for actual crop losses. Most small farmers are not eligible for bank loans, leaving them at the mercy of climate disasters.
Sherry Rehman urged the government to introduce a comprehensive national crop insurance policy that protects not just big landlords but also small and poor farmers. As immediate steps, she recommended targeted subsidies on seed and fertilizer to allow re-cultivation and cash assistance for affected families to prevent rising rural poverty.
She called for emergency relief under the Benazir Income Support Programme, similar to 2022, and cited the 2010 FAO-led recovery program, which distributed seed, livestock and irrigation support to farmers. “We urgently need a similar nationwide rehabilitation plan to help farmers stand on their feet again,” she said.
The PPP senator also emphasized the role of technology-based smart systems in disaster response. She said that satellite data was successfully used in 2022 to estimate crop losses and plan recovery. Optical satellites can assess changes in crop conditions before and after floods, enabling timely interventions.
“Pakistan must integrate modern tools into its national disaster response framework to ensure effective decisions,” she added. “Our agricultural system is already under severe climate stress. Without decisive action, the food crisis will deepen, hitting not only rural areas but also urban populations with unbearable inflation.”
