BY: ANI Correspondent:
ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Farmers Wing Central Information Secretary Khalid Nawaz Sadhraich has warned that standing crops across Pakistan are under serious threat from climate change, emerging pests and plant diseases, urging the government and agricultural research institutions to launch an immediate nationwide scientific response to safeguard food security.
In a statement, Sadhraich said cotton, rice, sugarcane, maize, vegetables and pulses are increasingly under attack from new pests, while peanut crops in the Pothohar region are suffering severe damage from cutworms. He called for timely technical guidance and support for farmers facing mounting losses.
He stressed that agricultural scientists should move beyond laboratories and conduct extensive field research to assess emerging threats, provide practical recommendations to farmers and help formulate long-term strategies to protect crop production.
Sadhraich warned that the prevailing hot and humid weather is creating ideal conditions for the spread of aphids, whiteflies, bollworms, armyworms, locusts, fruit flies, stem borers, termites and rodents, making immediate pest-control measures essential.
He said farmers, already burdened by rising input costs, urgently need financial assistance, effective pesticides and expert technical support. Referring to Pothohar, he urged authorities to provide peanut growers with immediate pest-control solutions and widely disseminate expert advice through all available media platforms.
Highlighting the broader impact of climate change, Sadhraich also called for improved flood preparedness, timely irrigation water supply and emergency field-based research into emerging agricultural pests and diseases to protect Pakistan’s agriculture and ensure national food security.
