ECONOMIC WOES, CONFLICTS DRIVING MYANMAR OPIUM POPPY CULTIVATION, PRODUCTION - UNODC

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- Myanmar’s opium poppy cultivation has risen to its highest level in a decade from 45,200 hectares to 53,100 hectares – an increase of about 17 per cent compared to last year.

The latest report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also said Myanmar continues to be the world's leading source of illegally produced opium with an estimated production of 1,010 metric tonnes this year. 

“Driven by the intensifying conflict, the need to survive, and the lure of rising prices, farmers are drawn to poppy cultivation.

“The increase we have seen in the past year will have significant implications for Myanmar’s future,” UNODC Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Delphine Schantz, said in a statement issued today.

The report, titled Myanmar Opium Survey 2025: Cultivation, Production, and Implications, was released on Wednesday.

The latest figures show that Myanmar has overtaken Afghanistan as the main source of illicit opium. Afghanistan’s poppy cultivation dropped by 20 per cent following a 2022 ban on opium production under Taliban rule, according to a UNODC report in November. Myanmar’s opium output is now double that of Afghanistan.

Since Myanmar’s military coup in 2021, the country has been mired in social and economic challenges that have displaced nearly 3.6 million people from their homes, according to the United Nations. 

The trend in opium cultivation which has seen a rise since 2020 is attributed to the doubling of the price of the narcotic and harsh economic conditions that have forced cash-strapped farmers to grow poppy plants. 

In 2019, fresh opium cost RM186 (US$45) per kilogram. Today's market price is RM1,357 (US$329) – a 127 per cent jump. 

“Unless viable alternative livelihoods are created, the cycle of poverty and dependence on illicit cultivation will only deepen.

“What happens in the country will shape drug markets in the region and far beyond, and requires urgent action,” said Schantz.

The report was released as the military government is preparing to hold elections on December 28 after a five-year hiatus. 

-- BERNAMA