Pakistan is facing the threat of a food crisis and rising inflation as torrential rains and flash floods devastate farmland and wipe out ready-to-harvest crops, the United Nations and local growers warned on Monday.
The latest wave of flooding hit northeastern Punjab, the country’s most populous province and key agricultural hub, last week. Hundreds of villages, schools, and health centers were submerged, while livestock was swept away and crops destroyed. Authorities said at least 50 people have lost their lives and thousands more have been forced to flee.
According to official figures, more than 2 million people have been affected nationwide, with over 700,000 already evacuated from their homes. Rescue and relief operations continue as the situation worsens in several districts.
Floodwaters are now surging southward toward the Indus River, raising fears of further destruction in Sindh province in the coming days. Officials and aid agencies are warning that the disaster could cripple food supplies and put additional pressure on already fragile economic conditions.
“This is no longer just unusual — it is becoming the new normal. Monsoon rains, intensified by climate change, are now bringing widespread fear and destruction to communities across Pakistan,” said Mo Yahya, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, in a post on X following his visit to the flood-affected areas.
“Endless rice fields are submerged under water, leaving farmers without crops or income for months until the next planting season,” he said, sharing a video showing the flooded farmlands in Hafizabad district. “This is only the beginning — more intense rains are expected in the coming weeks. As the floodwaters move further south, even more families will face displacement and destruction,” said Mo Yahya, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator. He added, “This is not just another natural disaster; this is Climate Change.”
Supporting the warning, Waqar Ahmad, Secretary General of the Kisan Board of Pakistan, a nationwide farmers’ organization, said the catastrophic floods have destroyed the three main crops in Punjab: rice, sugarcane, and sesame, which is an oil-rich seed.
“Rice has particularly suffered, as the floods have struck the major rice-producing districts,” Ahmad told Anadolu. He estimated that around 70 percent of the standing rice crop has been destroyed by the recent deluges.
Ahmad further cautioned that if neighboring India releases additional floodwaters toward Pakistan, the remaining crops could be severely affected, worsening the agricultural losses.
Meanwhile, Waheed Ahmad, head of the Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exports Association, warned that the floods are likely to trigger food inflation, as large quantities of crops and vegetables across Punjab and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been ruined. He urged the government to lift levies on vegetable and fruit imports from neighboring Afghanistan and Iran to help mitigate the looming food shortages.
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