Whitefly attack giving Punjab cotton growers sleepless nights

The cotton crop in Punjab is facing an onslaught from whiteflies, which is proving to be a nightmare for growers and agriculture department high-ups, as well who have so far been expecting a good harvest this year, mainly because of supportive weather. The scale of the whitefly attack, which experts say has been caused by a sudden hike in temperatures across the cotton belt during the last couple of weeks, has raised fears of an extraordinary decrease in per acre crop yield that is contrary to the general expectation lint production target may not be achieved this year too. The areas of Bahawalpur, Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan are said to be among the worst-hit. A record cut in the arrival of cotton in markets and ginning factories is also being reported.