Survey says Swat valley to witness food crisis

PESHAWAR: The Covid-19 and climate change-related calamities are likely to disrupt fruit production and supply chains, leading to a food crisis in the Swat Valley in the near future, says a survey findings.

Apart from Covid-19 pandemic, erratic rains and frequent hailstorms during the month of April and May in 2020, standing wheat crops ready for harvest on 20000 hectares and fruit orchards on 15000 hectares of land have been severely damaged, according to a preliminary survey conducted by the agricultural unit of ‘Khpal Kaliwala Tanzeem’ based in village Kokarai, in the Swat district. It was reported that storms in areas like Babuzai, Barikot, Kabal and Matta tehsils of Swat district have damaged 40 per cent of wheat crops and 60 per cent of fruit orchards, especially valuable peach, plum and apple orchard to be harvested in last week of May. Besides, the vegetable crops like peas on 2000 hectares were damaged as well.

Farmers have demanded immediate assessment of crop losses to compensate them for the heavy losses due to the pandemic followed by the havoc caused by erratic weather. The debt-ridden farmers, already reeling under economic hardships in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, are unable to bear the huge losses caused by various natural calamities and have demanded compensation for the financial losses from the provincial government.

One, Rashid Ahmad of Kokarai Union Council, whose 3-hectare apple orchard and 5 hectares of wheat the crop will have no yield this year, has to pay the debt of “arthies”, and traders for the loan money he had got in advance to procure chemicals and seeds for the harvest. “I feel totally helpless and deprived”, he lamented. “Barikot tehsil is the hub of peach orchards where more than 60 per cent of orchards were damaged by the heavy rains and hailstorms”, said Afzal Shah Bacha, a political activist from the area.

“Peach orchards over 3000 hectares in Kota Aboha and Nagigram union councils have received heavy losses,” he said demanded the government to announce appropriate financial package to affected farmers at the earliest. Hazer Gul, who runs a non-government organisation in the Swat Valley, called freak weather patterns causing huge damage to crops as a catastrophic phenomenon. “As the attention of provincial government has been fully diverted toward the control of health emergency in KP, those at the helm of affairs are not available to listen to the plea of farmers, and pay attention to the critical food sector, that feeds approximately 2.3 million population of the area and exports value-added farm products across Pakistan and also fetch much needed foreign exchange through exports,” according to Fazal Maula Zahid who is agricultural expert and heads “Khpal Kaliwaal Tanzim” a community-based organization in Kokarai valley.

“Farmers are suffering huge losses year after year, due to the climate change-related natural calamities but have not been able to draw attention of the government to empower the vital agricultural community”, he complained. “Unpredictable rains and heavy hailstorms have increased manifold the troubles of over 0.3 million farmers of the Swat district”, he added. The agriculture expert said that a package of Rs 30 billion would be needed to compensate the farm sector in Malakand district which suffered owing to natural calamities, apart from Covid-19 emergency.

He appealed the provincial and federal governments for quality input like seed and chemicals to be provided to the farmers cost-free for their lands in upcoming Kharif season, as a step to ensure food security, enhance employment opportunity, improve agricultural sustainability and strengthen local farm husbandry, on which 75 per cent population is directly dependent. Zubair Torwali, who heads, Idara-e-Taleem-o-Taraqi, Bahrain, also voiced concern at the lack of interest on the part of government towards the serious issue. According to a recent World Bank report, labour shortages, movement restrictions and social distancing rules have adversely impacted producers, processors, traders and trucking/logistics companies in food supply chains – particularly food products that require workers to be in close proximity.

At the same time, loss of income and remittances is reducing the ability of the affected sector to procure food and compensate farmers for their production. The United Nations World Food Programme has warned that an estimated 265 million people could face acute food insecurity by the end of 2020, up from 135 million before the crisis. Meanwhile, civil society organizations comprising Karwan Tanzeem, Clean & Green KP, Sarhad Conservation Network, Idara-e-Barai Taleem-o-Taraqi (IBT) Bahrain, Kphal Kaliwal Tanzim, Swat have demanded to declare food emergency in Swat affected by climate change-related natural disasters.