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Opium farming takes root in Myanmar's war-wracked landscape

Myanmar became the world's largest producer of opium in 2023, surpassing Afghanistan, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime .
Myanmar's opiate economy is estimated to range from $589 million to $1.57 billion, based on domestic consumption and exports, according to the UNODC.
Displaced farmers report that poppy farming is their only option for survival amid ongoing conflict and food insecurity.
Many farmers express regret over growing poppy, stating that they do so only to avoid starvation due to the lack of alternative job opportunities in conflict-affected areas.

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Malay Mail

‘We feel unsafe’: Opium farming takes root in Myanmar’s war-wracked landscape

PEKON (Myanmar), March 11 — Scraping opium resin off a seedpod in Myanmar’s remote poppy fields, displaced farmer Aung Hla describes the narcotic crop as his only prospect in a country made barren by conflict. The 35-year-old was a rice farmer when the junta seized power in a 2021 coup, adding pro-democracy guerillas to the long-running civil conflict between the military and ethnic armed groups. Four years on, the United Nations has said Myanma…

2 days ago·Selangor, Malaysia

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NDTV

Opium Farming Takes Root In Myanmar's War-Torn Landscape

Scraping opium resin off a seedpod in Myanmar's remote poppy fields, displaced farmer Aung Hla describes the narcotic crop as his only prospect in a country made barren by conflict. The 35-year-old was a rice farmer when the junta seized power in a 2021 coup, adding pro-democracy guerillas to the long-running civil conflict between the military and ethnic armed groups. Four years on, the United Nations has said Myanmar is mired in a "polycrisis"…

2 days ago·New Delhi, India

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South China Morning Post

In Myanmar’s fields of fear, farmers sow opium poppies for survival

For those displaced by relentless conflict in the world’s biggest producer of opium, poppy farming offers a fragile lifeline.

2 days ago·Hong Kong

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The Straits Times

Opium farming takes root in Myanmar’s war-wracked landscape

For farmers displaced by conflict, the hard poppy is the only thing that keeps them from starving. Read more at straitstimes.com.

2 days ago·Singapore

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France24

+38 Reposted by 38 other sources

Opium farming takes root in Myanmar's war-wracked landscape

Scraping opium resin off a seedpod in Myanmar's remote poppy fields, displaced farmer Aung Hla describes the narcotic crop as his only prospect in a country made barren by conflict.

2 days ago·France

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