SIALKOT, June 5: Growers are openly sowing the banned paddy varieties in both Sialkot and Narowal districts.

District governments of Sialkot and Narowal had imposed a ban under section 144 PPC on the sowing, selling and purchasing of four paddy varieties — 386, Kashmira, Super Fane and Malta.

Flouting the orders due to the negligence of the agriculture department, the growers were sowing unabatedly these banned varieties in Sialkot, Daska, Bhopalwala, Sambrial, Uggoki, Satrah, Pasrur, Chawinda, Badiana, Shakargarh, Zafarwal, Darman, Kot Nainan, Baddomalhi, Narowal and their adjoining rural areas.

Talking to Dawn, a progressive farmer, Abdul Hamid Goraya, said that banned varieties did not only cost growers very cheap but they were also easy to sow and give more per acre yield.

These banned paddy varieties have already been rejected in the international market by foreign buyers due to their poor quality.

Some growers, busy in sowing the banned varieties, said they had been sowing these varieties only for the domestic market and not for the export purposes.

Officials of the agricultural department said that since the banned paddy varieties were poor in quality they would not be exported.

They said that the law under section 188 PPC did exist to check the violation, but we were awaiting action against the growers from district governments.

The districts of Sialkot and Narowal are considered the best regions of producing the quality paddy yields. The Agriculture Department, started paddy sowing in Sialkot district on May 20, has fixed a sowing target on 467,120 acres of land for this season.

RECOVERED: Satrah police on Wednesday claimed to have recovered eight kilogramme hashish from a drug-trafficker in Sirranwali village, Daska.