KARACHI: Agricultural experts said on Saturday that rice production in Sindh is expected to decline this year as farmers have reduced the area under cultivation due to water shortages.
Muhammad Ismail Kumbhar, a professor at Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, said the province sowed its crops late because of a lack of water, and around 30–40% of the land had been left uncultivated.
“Nine”, Kumbhar said, “yields will also remain low.”
Pakistan produces about 6.5 million to 7 million tons of rice annually, including Basmati rice, of which around 4 million tons is produced in Sindh, mainly consisting of non-Basmati varieties such as IRRI and certain hybrid types. Most non-Basmati rice comes from Sindh.
Normally, paddy sowing begins in June and July, but this year it was delayed by one to two months. Some growers only started sowing in early August.
Kumbhar said that late sowing also exposes the crop to pest attacks during the cloudy season.
He noted with concern that farmers and growers are migrating to major cities, as key Kharif (summer) crops — including cotton — have been severely affected. He added that livestock feed prices have also increased this season.
The districts of Badin, Sujawal, and Thatta usually grow rice in Sindh’s low-lying areas, while Dadu, Larkana, Shikarpur, Qamber-Shahdadkot, and Shikarpur are known for rice cultivation in the province’s upper regions.
“All these areas remain vulnerable to water shortages,” Kumbhar said.
“Some growers at the head of the canals in prohibited areas have also begun sowing rice, which is dangerous and affects crops in the tail-end areas.”
Some farmers have planted hybrid seeds this year, which require sufficient water and suitable weather conditions — “conditions that are not available in these regions,” he said.
Mehmood Nawaz Shah, General Secretary of the Sindh Abadgar Board, agreed that rice cultivation was not permitted in some areas due to water scarcity.
“This is the first time in Kharif that such severe water shortages have been recorded,” Shah said.
“In some regions, paddy sowing usually starts in May, but water only became available in August.”
He said the losses are not uniform across all farmers.
“Some growers may have been unable to cultivate up to 80% of their land, while others may have completed their sowing,” he explained.
Nevertheless, the damage has already occurred as the harvest season begins.
Rafique Suleman, Senior Vice Chairman of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan, said the crop size remains low so far.
“Normally, rice availability at this time is high, but this time it is extremely low,” he said.
Suleman hopes the rice crop will still reach last year’s level of around 6.5 million to 7 million tons nationwide.
He said the Sindh government had banned paddy sowing in certain areas of the province, affecting production by around 0.3 million tons.
“This is an agricultural country, and any ban on rice cultivation will impact the economy,” he added.
