Cotton suffers Rs 2 bln loss for bug in Punjab
'Pakistan Times' Wire Service

CHISHTIAN: The cotton crop suffered a loss of Rs 2 billion in the area due to massive attack of mealy bug last year, agriculture experts observed here Tuesday.

Addressing a seminar,they stressed upon the urgent need to curb the growth of this new insect which has been playing havoc with cotton.

The experts called for a full-fledged and multi-pronged strategy to weed out the mealy bug in order to save cotton-based exports.

The agricultural experts said that proper application of prescribed pesticides in the affected fields can help overcome this menace.

They advised the farmers to burn the affected plants and bury them deep inside the earth so that this dangerous pest may not spread to healthy fields.

The speakers included—Muhammad Nadeem, Muhammad Arshad, MPA Muhammad Afzal, tehsil nazim Haji Muhammad Akram and others.●