Meeting Held To Assess Flood Damage To Crops

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Sep, 2025) A special meeting was held in Multan under the chairmanship of Secretary Agriculture Punjab, Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, to review detailed assessments of flood-related damages to key crops, including cotton, rice, maize, sugarcane, mango orchards, and others.

The meeting was attended by Special Secretary Agriculture South Punjab Sarfaraz Hussain Magasi, Vice Chancellor of MNS Agricultural University Multan Prof. Dr. Asif Ali, Additional Secretary Task Force Punjab Shabbir Ahmad Khan, Director Generals of the Agriculture Department Punjab Ch. Abdul Hameed, noted cotton growers Syed Hassan Raza and Khalid Mahmood Khokhar, Dr. Khalid Hameed, and relevant officials from the Agriculture Extension and Pest Warning departments.

In his address, Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo stated that the recent unusual flooding has severely impacted crops across the province, with damages reported in 28 districts. Over 3,000 villages have been affected, and to assess the scale of agricultural losses, more than 2,000 survey teams have been deployed.

He noted that, fortunately, cotton cultivation has been the least affected among major crops. A comprehensive damage assessment report will be finalized in the coming days. The Secretary also shared that the Chief Minister of Punjab will soon announce a special relief package to compensate farmers for crop losses.

To support cotton growers, the Agriculture Department is providing expert guidance for crop management. Additionally, around 2,000 agricultural graduate interns have already been mobilized for field activities to assist farmers directly.

During his visit to the Model Agriculture Mall, Secretary Sahoo also reviewed ongoing operations and announced that faculty members of agricultural universities, students, interns, progressive farmers, and other stakeholders will be invited for orientation visits to the facility.