FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 04/01 - PAKISTAN (26 March)
The main crop currently in the ground is winter wheat which is planted in October/November for harvest in April/May. Due to severe drought and reduction in irrigation supplies production this year is forecast to decline from around 21 million tonnes last year to 17.5 million tonnes. The decline is attributed to both a reduction in area and yield. The shortage in irrigation supplies is reported to be the worst since completion of extensive irrigation network in the 1970s. The main reasons for the shortage are two consecutive weak monsoons and inadequate glacier and snow melt due to below normal snowfall and cooler than normal temperatures. In addition to production problems in irrigated areas, the rainfed crop, which is less than 10 percent of total production, is in poor condition, particularly in the southern province of Sindh, where water shortages are most acute and where harvest will begin shortly.
In view of successive poor rainfall years, concerns of food and water shortages are mounting in Baluchistan in the North West and Sindh in the south. Reports indicate that the situation for vulnerable groups is becoming critical. Rice farmers are reportedly being urged to switch to less water intensive crops.
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