What should have been a season of harvest and profit has instead become a season of despair. For farmers across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), violent windstorms, unseasonal rains, and changing weather patterns have destroyed crops worth millions of rupees, highlighting the growing impact of climate change on Pakistan’s agricultural sector.

In the outskirts of Peshawar, where plum orchards have been cultivated for generations, farmers claim that years of hard work were wiped out within hours. Ripe fruit now lies scattered across muddy fields after strong winds and heavy rain struck the region just weeks before harvest.

For Shakeel Khan, a farmer from Armar village, the recent storm struck at the worst possible time. “The fruit was almost ready for harvest. One night of strong winds and the rain destroyed everything,” he told The Express Tribune.

After 24 years in farming, Shakeel revealed that nearly all the plums in his orchard were knocked off the trees, causing losses of up to Rs800,000. Similarly, Nawaz Armar, another orchard owner, shared that almost 90 per cent of his mature crop was destroyed, resulting in losses of around Rs5 million.

Farmers and traders estimate that more than 70 per cent of plum orchards in the region have been affected. In addition to the loss of fruit, strong winds damaged trees, threatening future yields. “It is a double loss — the fruit is gone and the trees have also been damaged,” said a fruit trader in Tarnab.

Many farmers warn that repeated climate-related disasters could force growers to abandon agriculture altogether. Small-scale farmers, already struggling with rising costs of fertiliser, seeds, fuel, and transport, are finding it increasingly difficult to recover from such losses.

The crisis is not limited to Peshawar. In Charsadda district, strawberry farmers have also suffered severe damage due to untimely rainfall. Farmers in Sarkai, Utmanzai, and Wali Bagh estimate that nearly 80 per cent of this year’s strawberry crop was destroyed before reaching the market.

Zareen Khan, who has been cultivating strawberries for three decades, revealed that he invested between Rs400,000 and Rs500,000 in his crop this season. “We waited months for the harvest, but the rains washed away our hopes. Limited access to agricultural loans and rising production costs have left farmers with few options for recovery,” regretted Khan.

Weather experts believe such extreme events are becoming increasingly common. Muhammad Faheem, deputy director of the Pakistan Meteorological Department in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, noted that strong winds, hailstorms, and thunderstorms frequently occur between late April and June.

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“Wind speeds during the recent storm reached nearly 90 kilometres per hour, causing widespread damage to orchards, solar panels, electricity poles, and other infrastructure across Peshawar and adjoining areas,” explained Faheem.

Agricultural experts warn that climate change is reshaping farming patterns across the province. Dr Fareeda Anjum, director of soil and plant nutrition at the Agricultural Research Institute, Tarnab, highlighted that outdated farming practices and excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides are also contributing to environmental stress.

“Researchers are promoting organic fertilisers, climate-smart farming techniques, and modern agricultural technologies to help farmers adapt since farmers can no longer rely solely on traditional methods. Training, technology, and adaptation are essential to protect crops from future climate-related threats,” said Dr Anjum.

As extreme weather events become more frequent and unpredictable, farmers across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa fear that without urgent support and effective climate adaptation measures, agriculture—one of the province’s most important economic sectors—could face an uncertain future.