SANGHAR, Aug 7: A banned pesticide has become the darling of farmers for being the most sought after, and at any rate.

Methamedaphos (generic name), popularly known as Metha, was banned two years’ ago but its miraculous character changed the mind of progressive farmers to apply it on cotton crop attacked by thrips and cotton curl virus.

However, it was by accident that they found the banned pesticides viable on cotton crop. The news spread like a jungle fire making the farmers throng all possible places in the market.

The lucky among them got it at below the market price as dealers until then were totally unaware of its worth, while on realization the price of a litre bottle scaled between Rs1,000 to Rs1,100 from Rs350 to Rs450.

Even then, it was not available as few unscrupulous elements were offering this Metha with new printed label and expiry to 2009 and further.

However, since last two years it had not been imported while farmers told Dawn that there was no alternate to this pesticide to control the prevailing thrips infecting cotton crop.