{"id":4153,"date":"2025-12-03T08:58:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T08:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=4153"},"modified":"2025-12-03T08:58:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T08:58:11","slug":"opium-poppy-farming-hits-10-year-high-in-war-torn-myanmar-drugs-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=4153","title":{"rendered":"Opium poppy farming hits 10-year high in war-torn Myanmar | Drugs News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Myanmar now the world\u2019s main source of illicit opium following decline of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, the UN says.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"byline byline--single-avatar\">\n<div class=\"avatars-container\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/metoo-1757661161.jpg?resize=96%2C96&amp;quality=80 96w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 96px) 96px, 96px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 3 Dec 2025<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">3 Dec 2025<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar has hit a 10-year peak, with the crop area increasing in all growing regions in the war-scarred country, the United Nations says.<\/p>\n<p>In its latest Myanmar opium survey, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) found that poppy cultivation increased by 17 percent compared with the previous year, a jump from 45,200 hectares (about 111,700 acres) to 53,100 hectares (about 131,200 acres) of land growing the illicit crop.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>The growth \u201creaffirms Myanmar\u2019s role as the world\u2019s known main source of illicit opium, following the continued decline of cultivation in Afghanistan\u201c, the UNODC said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis major expansion in cultivation shows the extent to which the opium economy has re-established itself over the past years \u2013 and points to potential further growth in the future,\u201d said Delphine Schantz, UNODC\u2019s representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">New report out now!<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Myanmar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Myanmar<\/a> Opium Survey 2025 shows a 17% increase in poppy cultivation compared to the previous year.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Opium?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Opium<\/a> production continues to grow and has reached a ten-year high.<\/p>\n<p>Read the full report here: <a href=\"\"><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vTptwukxT2\">pic.twitter.com\/vTptwukxT2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 UNODC Southeast Asia-Pacific (@UNODC_SEAP) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UNODC_SEAP\/status\/1996072499239690666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 3, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>While the area of land under poppy cultivation in Myanmar increased sizably between 2024 and 2025, the amount of opium produced per hectare of poppy has not kept pace, according to the UNODC.<\/p>\n<p>The discrepancy between cultivation and production of opium was due to the country\u2019s growing instability, the UNODC said, where \u201cintensifying conflict and insecurity\u201d have made it increasingly difficult for farmers to maintain their crops and produce high yields of opium.<\/p>\n<p>A key factor in the surge in poppy farming in Myanmar is the growing price of opium, which has more than doubled since 2019, when 1kg of fresh opium cost $145. Today, 1kg of opium costs $329 in Myanmar, the UNODC said.<\/p>\n<p>The UNODC report also notes \u201cemerging signs\u201d of heroin flowing from Myanmar to international markets that were previously supplied by narcotics originating in Afghanistan, warning of global demand increasing for opiates originating in the Southeast Asia region due to \u201cheroin supply shortages from Afghanistan\u201d. Opium is processed to manufacture the highly addictive narcotic heroin.<\/p>\n<p>According to the European Union\u2019s Drugs Agency (EUDA), some 60kg (132lbs) of heroin believed to have been manufactured in and around Myanmar was seized from commercial airline passengers travelling to the EU from Thailand in 2024 and early 2025.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDriven by the intensifying conflict, the need to survive and the lure of rising prices\u201d, farmers in Myanmar are being drawn to poppy cultivation, UNODC\u2019s Schantz said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe increase we have seen in the past year will have significant implications for Myanmar\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens in the country will shape drug markets in the region and far beyond, and requires urgent action,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Myanmar now the world\u2019s main source of illicit opium following decline of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, the UN says. Published On 3 Dec 20253 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar has hit a 10-year peak, with the crop area increasing in all growing regions in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}