Report: ANI :
ISLAMABAD — A projected shortage of water for the Rabi season has raised concerns among farmers, particularly small growers already facing higher agricultural input costs and declining returns.
Recent reports indicate that Pakistan is entering the Rabi season, which began on October 1, with an anticipated water shortage of around 25 percent, while reservoir carryover has fallen below 9.5 million acre-feet (MAF), the lowest level before a Rabi season since 2021. Wheat is the major Rabi crop, along with gram, lentils, mustard, barley, tobacco and rapeseed.
Central Information Secretary of the PTI Kisan Wing Khalid Nawaz Sadhraich said in a statement that a large number of small farmers had informed local PTI Kisan Wing bodies that their agricultural capital had been severely depleted over the past three years due to what he described as inadequate returns on their crops.
He claimed that farmers had collectively suffered losses of more than Rs2,500 billion and that some were considering leaving their land uncultivated during the Rabi season.
Sadhraich alleged that excessive quantities of water were released from Mangla, Tarbela and other reservoirs during the Kharif season due to political considerations, contributing to the anticipated shortage for Rabi crops.
He expressed concern over the upcoming meeting of the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), saying farmers feared that the distribution of available water among provinces could be influenced by political considerations rather than agricultural requirements.
The IRSA Advisory Committee is expected to consider provincial water shares for the Rabi season on October 5, following assessment and recommendations regarding water availability.
Sadhraich said farmers were also being discouraged by rising prices of petroleum products, fertilizers, pesticides, electricity, irrigation and other agricultural inputs. He called for urgent government attention to the challenges facing the agricultural sector, warning that continued difficulties could affect food security and the national economy.
He called for fair and transparent distribution of irrigation water at the IRSA meeting and urged that the interests of farmers and the agricultural sector be given priority in allocating available water resources.
He also proposed the establishment of a permanent institutional consultation mechanism comprising representative farmers, agricultural economists, researchers, provincial agriculture departments and relevant federal institutions. He said such a mechanism would help ensure that agricultural policies were based on ground realities, expert research and farmers’ practical experience.
Note: The 27% figure in the original statement is a political claim/characterisation. Current reporting available as of October 2, 2026 describes the anticipated Rabi water shortage at around 25%; IRSA's final seasonal allocation was still pending.
