LAHORE, Feb 17: Farmer bodies have reacted sharply to customs department's decision to invite bids for the sale of 16,000 litres of Fenpropathrin due to expire in May , saying that the chemical would find its way into the local pesticide market and affect the next cotton crop.

The auction is due to be held on Saturday. "This chemical is used for protecting cotton crop against Bollworm," said Sadiq Khakwani of the Pakistan Kissan Board.

The attack normally hits the crop in August or September because cotton is sown in Sindh in April and in Punjab in May and June. There was no way this chemical could be used before the above-mentioned dates, yet its expiry date was in the month of May, he observed.

The buyer would sell the expired chemical in the local pesticide market and destroy the cotton crop, he feared. This is the policy of being penny wise and pound foolish.

The government would hardly get Rs1.5 million for 16,000 litres of the chemical and run the risk of destroying cotton over 70,000 acres. Should that happen, it would cost the national economy over Rs100 million, he said.

"Pakistan lost the last cotton crop to Bollworm and spurious drugs," says Hamid Malhi of the Farmers Associates Pakistan. Instead of plugging the holes, the government seems to be exposing the next crop to the same danger.

The buyer would keep a few bottles of the expired chemical to satisfy legal and procedural formalities and sell the rest. He would be buying the chemical with full knowledge of its expiry date and his inability to use it before August and September. It was more than obvious where would it end up, he said.

Once a spurious drug is sprayed during a pest attack, the attack worsens and turns the area into a hot spot that could easily affect the surrounding areas. The government does not seem to be alive to the issue, he claimed, adding that the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Livestock should take up the issue with the federal government and must get the auction cancelled.

Kissan Board Pakistan secretary Ibrahim Mughal said that small farmers would be most vulnerable to such practices. Big landlords are always careful and have the capacity to protect themselves against such market manoeuvres.

But small farmers, who lack the financial resources, always fall prey to the profit-driven forces. The government is still picking pieces from last year's pest attack and must not allow a repeat of the situation within a few months.

The auction notice says that only those registered with the Plant Protection Department of Pakistan should participate in the bid, meaning thereby that the government is ensuring that the pesticide will be used only for agriculture purposes. This is the most lamentable situation for the agriculture sector, he regretted.

The other item on the auction bid is Aluminium Phosphide, which is used for wheat protection during storage. The expiry date of it is April 2004. Wheat in the Punjab hardly hits the market during the month of April and Aluminium Phosphide is needed after June, when this batch would have expired.

The federal government must not allow release of such dangerous chemicals in the local market, he demanded.