Since the military coup, the opium market has resurged in Pekon Township, located on the Shan-Karenni (Kayah) border, with local farmers returning to opium cultivation, according to locals.
A local said: “People here are looking for easy ways to make money. They earn income by growing opium, as it provides quick returns. That’s why they turn to re-growing opium — it’s an easy way to earn money.'”
A local, who requested to remain anonymous, said that according to the market, the price of low-quality summer opium is 1 million kyat per viss.
“Opium harvested in the summer fetches a good price, but it’s not as high as the price for opium harvested in the winter. This is due to the difference in quality,” the local said.
During the time of the previous civilian government, local farmers in Pekon Township, on the Shan-Karenni border, where large areas of opium are grown, planted avocados and oranges as alternatives to opium cultivation.
At that time, the price of black opium was only 200,000 kyats per viss, which made commercial cultivation nearly non-existent, and farmers turned to alternative crops instead.
According to farmers, the return of opium cultivation among locals is due to its higher prices compared to alternative crops.
Farmers are still harvesting the summer poppy fields planted on the Shan-Karenni border. They said that last winter’s opium harvest was of better quality, fetching up to 1.2 million kyats per viss.
Myanmar continues to be the country with the highest opium cultivation in 2024. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) announced on 12 December 2024 that Shan State remains the leading opium-producing region in Myanmar in 2024.
Sent by Kantarawaddy Times