MULTAN, May 25: Premature and unregistered cottonseed varieties are sneaking into the market. Sources say that some 'responsible officials' at cotton research centres in league with private entrepreneurs (known as cottonseed mafia) are hoodwinking the farming community by marketing upcoming varieties as high-yielding.

The upcoming cotton varieties that are in demand are CIM-534, VH-142, VH-144 and BH-162. Sources said that an official cotton research institute in Multan had become a hub of the clandestine sale of the unregistered under-trial cottonseed varieties.

"A variety which is yet to be approved is being sold at Rs3,000 per kg by some officials at the CCRI," the sources added. It is learnt that usually the 'mafia' procures seed of the upcoming varieties about which it is assured that they (varieties) are going to be approved in a year or two. Another variety of the same research institute CIM-506, which is approved this year, had been sown over thousands of acres last year by the seed mafia.

Though it depends on varieties, the maximum price of the cottonseed available with the Punjab Seed Corporation is Rs30 per kg or Rs1,200 per 40kg while some growers ambitious to get better per acre yield told this scribe that they had purchased the seed of CIM-506 at Rs4,000 per 40kg from the CCRI.

Sources at a local research institute said that some of the institute officials had recently helped a senior official of the Anti-corruption Establishment by selling out some 12,000kg of CIM-506 seed produced at his farm.

Cotton market observers said that the 'seed mafia' had been thriving in the absence of any proper check on the seed business in the country. Recently, during a meeting held at the Central Cotton Research Institute, Multan, to envisage the cotton policy 2004-2005, the director-general of the Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department had accused the private seed companies of selling unapproved premature varieties that ultimately caused damage to the crop in the form of pest and virus attack.

However, representative of the private seed companies, B A Khan, levelled counter allegations that the premature cottonseed varieties could not come in the market without the connivance of corrupt elements at the official cotton breeding facilities and research institutes.

The meeting was held with state minister for agriculture Sikander Hayat Bosan in the chair. Federal agriculture secretary Tariq Mehmood was also present the meeting. When contacted, CCRI director Islam Gill agreed that unregistered cottonseed varieties were available in the market but denied reports that his institute was involved in their premature release at any level.

"I did not succumb to the pressures for premature release of CIM-534 this year," he added. He said since assuming charge of the institute he had been following a strict policy to control release of the premature varieties that had turned a 'corrupt mafia' against him both in and outside the institute.

He said some 'unruly' elements of his institute were spreading rumours about the release of unapproved cottonseed while they themselves had been guilty of doing so prior to his appointment.

Farmers' representatives said that the cotton growers were deceived every year in the name of so-called high-yielding varieties which were either just approved or yet to be approved.

But, the cotton production of the country had been stagnant around 10m bales for the last 12 years despite an overall increase in the area under cultivation in the country. Besides, the usage of fertilizers and pesticides had also increased during the last decade.

They said the per acre yield of cotton had decreased down the years while the research institutes released varieties after varieties every year with tall claims of high per acre yield and GOT (ginning out turn).