LAHORE: Punjab Agriculture Minister Malik Nauman Ahmad Langrial said 35,000 acres of wheat and corn crop have been devastated owing to recent spell of heavy rains and hailstorm across the province.
The official assessment of the damages, caused to the crops, which were ready to harvest, and the losses suffered by farmers, will be conducted soon, Langrial said.
Punjab Food Minister Samiullah Chaudhry also visited districts of Lahore, Kasur, Multan and Bahwalpur to review the destruction of crop fields.
Usman Buzdar, Punjab chief minister, has summoned a cabinet meeting to discuss the matter as farmers have been demanding from the government to compensate the loss.
Earlier today, Prime Minster Imran Khan expressed sadness over the loss of lives and large scale damage to standing crops owing to widespread rains across the country.
According to the PM’s spokesperson Nadeem Afzal Chan, the prime minister is well aware of the damage the recent rainfall has caused to wheat and other crops and that the government equally shared the grief of the people affected by the rains.
He said the relevant government departments have been directed to take measures in this regard.
It is noteworthy that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in a report had said at least 49 people were killed and 176 others injured in rain-related incidents. It said floods caused by the rains wreaked havoc across the country.
