Myanmar surpasses Afghanistan as world’s leading Opium producer, UN report reveals
In a recent report by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Myanmar has emerged as the global leader in opium production, surpassing Afghanistan. The report indicates a staggering 36% increase in Myanmar’s opium production this year, reaching 1,080 tonnes, while Afghanistan produced 330 tonnes after a 95% drop in poppy cultivation due to a Taliban-imposed drug ban.
The drastic shift in opium production is attributed to Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, creating a lucrative income source for farmers in remote areas amidst economic, security, and governance disruptions following the military takeover in February 2021. Jeremy Douglas, the regional representative of UNODC, highlighted the impact of these factors, emphasizing the necessity for farmers to turn to opium cultivation for livelihood.
Myanmar’s historical association with opium cultivation, funding insurgent groups in their fight against the government, has escalated in the past year. The report notes an 18% increase, coupled with a rise in sophistication using densely organized plots, irrigation systems, and fertilizers.
Factors such as rising opium prices, the economic downturn exacerbated by the pandemic, and a bleak outlook for Myanmar’s economy have further incentivized opium cultivation. Shan State, a focal point of conflict, remains the country’s largest opium producer, sustaining insurgent groups despite the downfall of powerful mafia families involved in gambling, scams, and narcotics.
The intensification of conflict in Shan and other border areas is anticipated to fuel further growth in opium production, particularly in northern Shan State, Chin, and Kachin. The economic significance of opium cultivation in these remote and infertile regions has drawn individuals back to Shan, where jobs in opium farming have become a reliable source of income.
Heroin production and trafficking, the most profitable facets of the opium economy, are estimated to have exported up to 154 tonnes of heroin from Myanmar this year, valued at $2.2 billion. The notorious Golden Triangle, where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos converge, has historically been a major source of opium and heroin production, with Myanmar and Afghanistan being primary contributors to the global heroin market.
