Farmers suffer millions in losses as extreme weather destroys plum and strawberry crops across KP
Almost 80 percent of this year’s strawberry crop was destroyed before reaching the market. PHOTO: PEXELS
PESHAWAR:
What should have been a season of harvest and profit has instead become a season of despair. For farmers across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), violent windstorms, erratic rains and changing weather patterns have destroyed crops worth millions of rupees, highlighting the growing impact of climate change on Pakistan’s agriculture sector.
On the outskirts of Peshawar, where plum orchards have been cultivated for generations, farmers claim that years of hard work were wiped out within hours. Ripe fruit now lies scattered across muddy fields after high winds and heavy rain hit the region just weeks before harvest.
For Shakeel Khan, a farmer from Armar village, the latest storm hit at the worst possible time. “The fruit was almost ready for harvesting. A night of strong wind and rain ruined everything,” he told The Express Pakinomist.
After 24 years in farming, Shakeel revealed that almost all the plums in his orchard were knocked off the trees, causing losses of up to Rs 800,000. Similarly, Nawaz Armar, another orchard owner, said that nearly 90 percent of his ripe crop was destroyed, resulting in a loss of around Rs 5 million.
Farmers and traders estimate that more than 70 percent of plum orchards in the region have been affected. In addition to the loss of fruit, strong winds damaged trees, threatening future yields. “It is a double loss – the fruit is gone and the trees have also been damaged,” said a fruit trader in Tarnab.
Many farmers warn that repeated climate-related disasters could force growers to abandon farming altogether. Small farmers, already struggling with rising costs of fertiliser, seed, fuel and transport, are finding it increasingly difficult to recover from such losses.
The crisis is not confined to Peshawar. In Charsadda district, strawberry farmers have also suffered severe damage due to untimely rainfall. Farmers in Sarkai, Utmanzai and Wali Bagh estimate that nearly 80 percent of this year’s strawberry crop was destroyed before reaching the market.
Zareen Khan, who has been growing strawberries for three decades, revealed that he invested between Rs400,000 and Rs500,000 in his crop this season. “We waited months for the harvest, but the rains washed away our hopes. Limited access to farm loans and rising production costs have left farmers with few options to recover,” lamented Khan.
Weather experts believe that such extreme events are becoming more and more common. Muhammad Faheem, deputy director of the Pakistan Meteorological Department in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, noted that strong winds, hailstorms and thunderstorms often occur between late April and June.
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“The wind speed during the recent storm reached nearly 90 kilometers per hour, causing extensive damage to orchards, solar panels, electricity poles and other infrastructure across Peshawar and adjoining areas,” explained Faheem.
Agricultural experts warn that climate change is reshaping farming patterns across the province. Dr. Fareeda Anjum, director of soil and plant nutrition at the Agricultural Research Institute, Tarnab, highlighted that outdated farming methods and excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides also contribute to environmental stress.
“Scientists are promoting organic fertilizers, climate-smart farming techniques and modern agricultural technologies to help farmers adapt as farmers can no longer rely solely on traditional methods. Education, technology and adaptation are essential to protect crops from future climate-related threats,” said Dr. Anjum.
As extreme weather events become more frequent and unpredictable, farmers across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa fear that without urgent support and effective climate adaptation measures, agriculture – one of the province’s most important economic sectors – could face an uncertain future.
