November 17, 2005

 

Pakistan's agricultural losses from earthquake at US$440 million

 

Direct and indirect losses to crops, livestock and irrigation infrastructure as a result of last month's earthquake in northern Pakistan totalled more than US$440 million, according to a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations assessment released on Nov 16.

 

FAO's damage and needs assessments for the agriculture and livestock sectors in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the North West Frontier Province were presented to the government of Pakistan this week.

 

With a death toll currently estimated at more than 70,000, few families in the earthquake-affected areas escaped the loss of human life.

 

Those affected have also seen a dramatic depletion of their assets. Shelter has been reduced to rubble, water and energy supplies have been cut off, and transport systems seriously threatened by unstable link roads and the strong likelihood of further landslides as winter sets in. Financial assets have been badly hit, with livestock and other assets buried under collapsed houses.

 

"When the earthquake hit, herds of sheep and goats were on their way back from pastures, resulting in a large number of deaths and injuries among pastoralists and their livestock," said FAO's Emergency Operations Service chief Fernanda Guerrieri.

 

"In more settled farming systems, buffaloes, cattle and poultry suffered even more severe losses as the structures in which they were kept collapsed. In the worst-affected areas, nearly all the livestock were lost," Guerrieri added.

 

Depletion of livestock continues as abandoned animals die, and others are sold or slaughtered in anticipation of the harsh winter, or due to lack of fodder and shelter. Feed and fodder stocks have been either buried under debris or damaged by the heavy rains that followed the earthquake.

 

Corn, the main cereal crop, was being harvested when the earthquake struck. Due to insufficient rainfall, harvest yields were already expected to be half of normal levels. The landslides, collapse of stores, free roaming animals and subsequent rains caused further crop damage of around 30-75 percent, according to the FAO assessment. Crops still in the field will only be partially harvested due to abandonment and lack of labour.

 

There are major damages on field terraces and irrigation and water management structures. In the affected areas, about 50 percent of the irrigation infrastructure has been damaged.

 

Entire fields have been lost due to land and rock slides. Critical infrastructure, such as farm-to-market roads, agro-processing facilities, and agricultural research, extension and training facilities, has been decimated.

 

FAO recently increased its appeal for emergency agricultural assistance and early recovery activities in the quake-hit region to US$25 million as part of the UN Flash Appeal.

 

So far, no funds have been received and hence the organisation has allocated nearly US$400,000 of its own resources to provide immediate emergency agricultural inputs until additional funds are available.