ISLAMABAD: In a startling revelation, M/s Aurega Lahore, a company owned by Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Food Security Jamshed Iqbal Cheema, has been found involved in illegal sale of planting materials and illegally planting Bt. cotton (hybrid) for an area of almost 10,000 acres of land with the name as “White Gold” without following prescribed rules.
According to exclusive copy of Economic Survey of 2009-2010 issued by the Government of Pakistan, available with Pakistan Today, reflects that none of these planting materials had been imported legally and have not been tested according to rules and regulations set by government agencies at federal and provincial levels.
The Economic Survey implicated Cheema’s company stating that all the Bt. cotton varieties grown are susceptible to cotton Leaf Curl Virus (CLCV) and sucking pests, i.e. Mealy bug, Jassid and White Fly, which the survey report said “are a major threat to cotton crops in Pakistan”.
Cheema, who admitted while talking to Pakistan Today of the survey report mentioning his company’s name, but defended his company’s involvement.
It is interesting to note that despite implicating Cheema’s company for the criminal involvement of damaging the cotton business, neither Cheema’s company was punished nor any action was taken against him.
Despite a disservice to the cotton business of the country, Cheema is still working as special assistant to prime minister for food security in a conflict of interest.
According to the economic survey, Bt. cotton is developed by Genetic Engineering techniques (Biotechnology). Bt. cotton contains genes from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt.).
As a rule and principle chalked out by federal and provincial governments all the Bt. cotton varieties/hybrids, it has to pass through the procedures designed for Testing and evaluation of these materials by Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC), Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD), National Bio-Safety Committee (NBC), Department of Plant Protection (DPP) and Provincial Seed Councils.
“Private Seed Company M/s Aurega Lahore has sold Bt. hybrid seeds for an area of almost ten thousand acres wah the name as ‘White Gold’ without following prescribed rules. Another private seed company M/s Alseeme Multan has sold non-Bt. cotton hybrid for almost on area of 10 thousand acres without following prescribed rules,” says the report.
The report added that most of the Bt. cotton varieties were marketed with wrong notation of resistance to all pests.
“In some instances, Bt. cotton seeds were mixed with non-Bt. cotton seeds and affected the yield,” the report added.
“Eight countries commercially grew Bt. cotton (USA, Australia, China, India etc). Protein of this gene is deadly for the Chewing Pests i.e. American, Army, Pink and Spotted worm but not for sucking pest like Mealy bug etc. There may he 30% increase in cotton yield dive to resistance against chewing pest and hance additional income to poor farmers in Pakistan,” says the report.
The Bt. cotton varieties including Bt. hybrids currently grown in Pakistan are from exotic sources which are given to farmers for cultivation without validating its performance and without proving production technologies based on research conducted according to local environment, the report added.
When contacted, Cheema admitted that he was still the chief executive officer of Aurega Lahore and that the Economic Survey had carried out a report against his company. Cheema also requested Pakistan Today to carry his version in the name of Osama Tayyab, a spokesman of Aurega.
He told Pakistan Today that Aurega had never been engaged in cotton seeds business. He said that in 21 years history, Aurega never got involved with seeds business.
“In 2008-2009, Dr Iqbal Bandesha was supporting Aurega as Technical Expert and he gave us cotton material. We started research on it in Lahore at Aurega Farms. It was successful. Then we conducted trials of the materials at Hyderabad and Mirpur Khas Divisions and got encouraging results. Then we conducted in-house trials and again found it very successful. Then we gave the materials to the Government of Pakistan for registration,” he added.
He said that the materials also passed government trials in seeds per acre yield production and disease resistance and a lint quantity parametres. Later, it was registered as Saiban 202. It is still registered as a non-Bt.
“However, the cotton seeds is a small business and not profitable. Hence, we never got engaged with this business. We hired Dr Rasheed as our breeder,” he added.
He said that the CEO of Aurega Jamshed Iqbal Cheema was contacted by someone in year 2011-12 and informed him about the Economic Survey report of 2009-10 and the involvement of Aurega in it.
“Mr Cheema wanted to register his protest against the Economic Survey’s findings but was advised not to contest the findings of the survey as the content of report could not be removed. Hence, we did not pursue it,” he added.
He also admitted the fact that cotton seed import is illegal as Bt. cotton is not certified as it is a baseless allegation against Aurega to illegally import the seeds. “We have 200 registered products,” he concluded.
