In spite of a big decline in acreage due to the whitefly attack last season, the yield of cotton in Punjab is expected to stay normal during the current season. According to reports, the fear of one more whitefly attack, cotton acreage in this season in the state slid to 2.56 lakh hectares compared to 3.39 lakh hectares in the previous season. However, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) vice chancellor B S Dhillon expressed optimism by noting that seeing the present growth of the cotton crop, they expect a normal yield.

Dhillon, who also heads the inter-state monitoring committee on whitefly, said PAU scientists and the state agriculture department were putting in full efforts to control the pest. He also said the Punjab government has provided Rs 70 lakh for research on the pest and recruited 500 scouts and 50 field supervisors to prevent damage to the crop. In the last cotton season, the whitefly attack had impacted 1.36 lakh hectares, of the overall cotton acreage in Punjab, leading to an output drop by 40 per cent.