Tangible steps are needed to arrest the cotton decline as the crop has witnessed the huge loss upto to 35 percent owing to different factors including climate changes and a lack of drainage management of heavy rainwater in the fields.

Tangible steps are needed to arrest the cotton decline as the crop has witnessed the huge loss upto to 35 percent owing to different factors including climate changes and a lack of drainage management of heavy rainwater in the fields. This was stated by University of Agriculture Faisalabad Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan while talking to Punjab Agricultural Research Board Chief Executive Dr Noorul Islam Khan. The Vice Chancellor said that the climate changes were posing a serious threat to the agricultural production. He also pointed out that there is a lack of researches in pink bollworm and urged the entomologists to come up with the viable solutions to the problem. He said that the effective management to control the bollworm would not only increase the productivity but also help alleviate the poverty. Dr Noorul Islam stressed upon the need to hold the stakeholders meeting on the bollworm issue. He said that tangible researches are prerequisite to increase the productivity in order to feed the increasing population. He urged the experts to devise flawless strategy to address the issue effectively. The meeting decided preparing the national action plan for pink bollworm management to fight he challenges of the cotton loss in the country. Earlier, a meeting of agri experts was held at the Department of Entomology, UAF on the bollworm issue which was attended by Dr Noorul Islam Khan , Chairman Entomology Prof Dr Jalal Arif, NIBGE Director Dr Shahid, Dr Dildar Gogi, Dr Abid Ali, Dr Mansoor Sahi, Dr Waqas Wakeel and other experts. The meeting decided that the all the institution will work together to prepare the national action plan. Dr Jalal Arif said that said pink bollworm is an important pest of cotton worldwide but it is more serious in Asia and Africa. He said that it also damages the lint quality by causing yellow spots in its fibre thus discounting the cost in the international market. He said that his department had constituted working groups on fruitful and date palm weevil. He said that his department was partnered with the Punjab Government in the drive against dengue.