MULTAN, Feb 6: The Punjab Seed Corporation is alleged to have purchased thousands of maunds of cotton seed of non-approved varieties of BT cotton.

An official of the Punjab Seed Corporation told Dawn on the condition of anonymity that the PSC had last year opposed the sale and cultivation of BT cotton. A ban on the cultivation of BT cotton is still in place.

But this year, he said, the corporation higher-ups had taken the decision of purchasing cotton seed from the progressive farmers for reasons best known to them. Hardly a week ago, the PSC had advertised in national newspapers sale of BT cotton.

A Kissan board tehsil-level official, Rasheed Khan Langah said the corporation had purchased those varieties whose cultivation was banned by the government. If the private-sector companies had sold the cotton seed of banned varieties, they would have been tagged “seed mafia” but the government institution’s malpractice would go unnoticed.

He said last year the cotton crop remained under severe attack of mealybug due to the cultivation of BT cotton on a large scale because its varieties failed to prevent the crop from the damage. And the cotton assessment committee was forced to announce decrease in cotton production target from 14.3 million bales to 11.6 million bales.

He said the corporation had purchased these banned cotton verities at prices much higher than the open market’s. He said the seed corporation board was not authorised to take such a decision that flew in the face of the law.

The PSC marketing manager was not available for a comment.