Myanmar Replaces Afghanistan as World's Top Opium Producer

Myanmar – Myanmar is replacing Afghanistan as the world's biggest producer of opium, the United Nations (UN) revealed. 

Even, its opium production this year is estimated to rise by 36% to 1,080 tonnes, far ahead of the 330 tonnes Afghanistan reportedly produced. 

Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan dropped by 95?ter a drug ban by the ruling Taliban last year. Meanwhile, cultivation has expanded in Myanmar, where a brutal civil war, has made it a lucrative source of income.

"The economic, security and governance disruptions that followed the military takeover of February 2021 continue to drive farmers in remote areas towards opium to make a living," said Jeremy Douglas, regional representative of the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which authored the report.

The average price of fresh and dried opium at harvest time has increased to US$ 317 and US$ 356 per kilogram (IDR 4.9 million - IDR 5.5 million). 

By 2023, the document adds, the poppy cultivation area in Myanmar (also known as Burma) is expected to reach 47,000 hectares – an 18 percent increase compared to last year. 

The region where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet – the so-called Golden Triangle - has historically been a major source of opium and heroin production. Myanmar and Afghanistan are the source of most of the heroin sold worldwide.