Last week, a high-level delegation of US cotton scientists visited Pakistan to review progress and plan new strategies with Pakistani counterparts to fight the cotton leaf curl virus (CLCV), a devastating disease that affects cotton yields in Pakistan and caused the loss of an estimated 1.5 million bales or 15 percent of this year’s total harvest, says a press release issued here by US embassy. The team visited labs in Lahore and Faisalabad and observed experimental disease-resistant cotton breeds grown in greenhouses provided by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The visit is part of a multi-year collaboration with Pakistani scientists to develop CLCV resistant seed. This cooperation is a prime example of the work the US does to enhance the productivity of Pakistan’s agricultural sector, especially for small farmers. Dr Brian Scheffler, USDA’s lead scientist in the Cotton Productivity Enhancement Programme (CPEP), was impressed with the progress that Pakistani counterparts at the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARC), the University of Punjab Institute of Agricultural Sciences, the Central Cotton Institute in Multan and Sakarand.
