ISLAMABAD: Climate experts have warned that the climate shocks in Pakistan have threatened agriculture, food security, rural livelihoods and economic stability of the country.
Talking to Business Recorder, Khan Faraz, a climate expert said that the agriculture contributed 23.4 percent to GDP and employing over 33.1 percent of the labour force. The sector grew by 2.89 percent in FY2025-26, nearly doubling last year’s 1.53 percent expansion, as stronger wheat, sugarcane and rice production helped the farm economy withstand the impact of devastating floods and emerge more resilient than expected.
The sector’s performance was largely driven by a 3.75 percent growth in livestock, alongside 1.66 percent increase in fisheries and a 2.02 percent rise in forestry.
Other experts said that the climate shocks threaten agriculture, food security, rural livelihoods and economic stability of the country. Climate change is no longer only an environmental concern but a challenge of productivity, inflation, employment, public finance and growth. Also, the next economic crisis may begin not with a failed bank, but with a failed monsoon. Nearly 70 percent of farmers cultivate fewer than five acres, while less than two percent of agricultural losses are insured. Every rupee spent rebuilding is a rupee not invested in our future.
Khan Faraz added there is a great need for a move from disaster response to risk management, relief to resilience and fragmented institutions to integrated governance. Farmers need fair markets, quality seeds, technology and protection.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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