MailChimp

Subscribe to Newsletter
Please wait

Cosmic Energy

Login Form

Ads Remote

Who's On Line

We have 74 guests and no members online

Myanmar opium cultivation surging under military rule - UN report

Star InactiveStar InactiveStar InactiveStar InactiveStar Inactive
 

myanmar flag myanmar flagmyanmar flagmyanmar flagmyanmar flagmyanmar flagmyanmar flagmyanmar flag 

Myanmar opium cultivation surging under military rule - UN report

(Reuters) - Opium cultivation in military-ruled Myanmar jumped 33% last year, reversing a six-year downward trend in the strife-torn country, a United Nations report said on Thursday. 

A man harvests opium as he works in an opium field outside Loikaw, Kayah state
A man harvests opium as he works in an opium field outside Loikaw, Kayah state© Thomson Reuters

The growth was "directly connected" to the political and economic turmoil in Myanmar since the military took power in a coup nearly two years ago, an official at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.

"Economic, security and governance disruptions that followed the military takeover of February 2021 have converged, and farmers in remote, often conflict-prone areas... have had little option but to move back to opium," said Jeremy Douglas, the UNODC's regional representative.

A junta spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

Myanmar's economy has declined since the coup, with the kyat currency plummeting against the dollar and food and fuel prices spiralling upwards.

"Without alternatives and economic stability it is likely that opium cultivation and production will continue to expand," warned UNODC Myanmar country manager Benedikt Hofmann.

The cultivated area in 2022 expanded by a third to 40,100 hectares (99,000 acres), while the average estimated yield rose 41% to nearly 20 kg (44 lb) per hectare, the highest value since the UNODC started keeping records in 2002, the report said.

The eastern Shan State, which borders China, Thailand and Laos, saw the biggest increase in cultivation, at 39%.

The 2021 report primarily used satellite data to determine cultivated area.

The value of opium produced annually in Myanmar can reach up to $2 billion, with much of the drug smuggled out to neighbouring countries and on to the global market, the report added.

(Reporting by Reuters Staff; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Gerry Doyle)  

Reference: Reuters: Story by Reuters

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site.

Ok
X

Right Click

No right click