HYDERABAD: A meeting of the Sindh Abadgar Board (SAB) was held in Hyderabad, where growers expressed concerns over the growing impact of climate change on agriculture, particularly fruit and vegetable production.
The participants highlighted that in recent years, climate change had intensified pest and disease attacks on mango crops, especially during the critical flowering and fruit-setting stages.
This year, several areas witnessed severe pest infestations. Farmers noted that these attacks had become sudden, rapid and more intense, leaving little time for effective response.
It was said that traditional farming practices, once sufficient to manage pests like hopper, thrips and jassid, as well as diseases such as anthracnose and malformation, were no longer proving effective, resulting in heavy losses in some orchards.
The growers also voiced concerns over the potential impact of El Ni\u00f1o on major crops such as cotton and rice.
They warned that temperatures exceeding normal levels during grain formation could lead to crop abortion and significantly reduce yields.
The board emphasised that while farmers were striving to cope with climate challenges, they expected proactive support from relevant agricultural institutions.
The SAB called upon academia to study climate patterns and provide timely data on pest outbreaks and disease risks.
It also urged the development of climate-resilient seed varieties capable of withstanding extreme heat and drought.
With temperatures already crossing 45 degrees Celsius and expected to rise further, growers warned of increased evapotranspiration rates, leading to higher water requirements for crops.
They urged the irrigation department to ensure adequate water supply by efficiently utilising available resources.
The meeting also discussed the sharp decline in vegetable and fruit prices over recent months. Crops such as tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, okra and muskmelon were reportedly being sold below production cost, causing significant financial losses to farmers. High fuel prices had further worsened the situation, they participants said.
The SAB demanded that the government promote value addition in the horticulture sector to enable processing and export of surplus produce. Without such measures, the growers warned, the sector would struggle to reach its full economic potential.
The meeting was presided over by Mahmood Nawaz Shah and attended by Dr Zulfiqar Yousfani, Bashir Nizamani, Syed Nadeem Shah, Aslam Mari, Masroor Soomro, Syed Salman Shah, Arbab Ahsan, Mustafa Nawaz Shah, Ali Mardan Shah, Murad Ali Shah and others.<\/p>\n