ISLAMABAD: The country’s major crops including cotton, maize, sugarcane and vegetables are under severe stress due to the prevailing hot and humid weather, raising concerns about agricultural output.
This was stated by agriculture an agriculture expert while talking to Business Recorder here on Monday.
President of the Pakistan Kissan Ittehad Council, Khalid Mehmood Khokhar said that a weather-related threat has emerged at a time when the federal government has set an ambitious agriculture growth target of 3.8 percent for fiscal year 2026-27, after the sector fell short of its 4.5 percent target in 2025-26.
He; however, said that the ongoing heatwave could dent crop yields if weather conditions persist.
Khokhar said the prolonged hot and humid conditions were putting cotton, maize and sugarcane crops under severe stress, while vegetable production had already started showing a downward trend in many areas.
“When temperatures remain exceptionally high, crops experience physiological stress, while vegetable plants often stop producing,” Khokhar explained.
He said farmers were already struggling with soaring production costs and poor financial returns, leaving them with little capacity to absorb further losses caused by extreme weather.
According to him, the sharp increase in fertiliser prices has forced many growers to reduce fertiliser application, a factor that could further lower crop productivity during the current season. “The combination of high input costs, low crop prices and adverse weather poses a serious challenge to achieving the government’s agriculture growth target,” Khokhar added.
Economic Survey 2025-26 noted that the agriculture sector posted growth of 2.89 percent, an improvement over 1.53 percent recorded a year earlier but well below the official target of 4.5 percent.
However, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast the onset of the monsoon during the first week of July, with a westerly weather system expected to enter the country’s upper parts from the evening of June 30, which may bring some relief from the heat.
The Met Office warned that heavy rainfall could trigger urban and flash flooding in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Nowshera, Sialkot, Narowal, Gujranwala, Lahore and Faisalabad between July 1 and July 4.
It advised farmers to plan crop operations in accordance with changing weather conditions and ensure the protection of livestock during the rainy spell.
The PMD said the prevailing hot and humid conditions are expected to subside with the arrival of the monsoon.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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