USDA talking cotton improvement with Pakistan

Agricultural experts from the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service are in talks with Pakistani government, agriculturists and private sector on improving cotton productivity, mainly by combating losses to cotton production due to the Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCuV), under the US-Pakistan Cotton Productivity Enhancement Program.

The two sides discussed the US-Pakistan Cotton Productivity Enhancement Program (CPEP) at a recent meeting in Pakistan. Pakistani government officials, representatives from public and private sector and farmer organisations participated in the meeting, according to a Pakistani news agency report.

The CPEP programme’s is a partnership between the US Agency for International Development, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), consortium of Pakistani government and university research facilities, and the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).

The primary goal of the programme is to study and combat Cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCuV). CPEP has substantially decreased losses due to CLCuV through promoting best management practices among small farmers.

CLCuV resistant cotton lines are currently in advanced field trials at Pakistani government research institutes, the report said.

“Our Pakistani partners are leaders in CLCuV research and are creating innovative new strategies to mitigate the effects of CLCuV, to benefit Pakistan’s cotton farmers. Our joint development of virus resistant cotton lines will be of immense value, not only to Pakistan, but the world,” Dr. Jodi Scheffler, USDA’s CPEP coordinator, noted.

CLCuV has caused major losses to Pakistan’s cotton industry, threatening both Pakistan’s economic stability and food security. The programme is supported by the Pakistani government, university and institute members, the public and private sectors, and farmer organisations.