Myanmar's opium production has reached a nine-year high.

 

According to the UN, opium output in Myanmar rebounded substantially after declining for seven years.

It reached over 795 metric tonnes in 2022, nearly doubling the production of 423 metric tonnes in 2021, the year of the military coup.

According to the UN, this is due to economic hardship and instability, as well as increasing global prices for opium resin, which is used to produce heroin.

The coup triggered a violent civil war in parts of Myanmar, which is still ongoing.

"Economic, security, and governance disruptions that followed the military takeover in February 2021 have converged, and farmers in remote, often conflict-prone areas in northern Shan and border states have had little choice but to return to opium," said Jeremy Douglas, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime's regional representative (UNODC).

according to the report, which was released on Thursday, Myanmar's economy will face external and domestic shocks in 2022, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, continued political instability, and soaring inflation, which will provide "strong incentives" for farmers to begin or expand opium poppy cultivation.

After Afghanistan, Myanmar is the world's second-largest opium producer. The two countries supply the majority of the heroin sold around the world. According to UN estimates, Myanmar's opium business is worth up to $2 billion (£1.6 billion), while the regional heroin trade is worth around $10 billion.

However, crop substitution schemes and improved economic possibilities in Myanmar have resulted in a steady decline in opium poppy production over the last decade.

The UN's annual opium survey, however, shows that output in Myanmar has increased once again. Opium production in 2022 will be the greatest since 2013 when it was 870 metric tonnes.

The UN has also been monitoring much higher rises in synthetic drug manufacture since the coup. In recent years, this has superseded opium as the primary source of money for armed groups operating in Myanmar's war-torn border districts.

Opium, on the other hand, necessitates far more labor than synthetic narcotics, making it an appealing cash crop in a country where the post-coup economic crisis has dried up many alternative forms of employment.

Last year, opium producers' incomes increased to $280/kg, indicating the crop's and commodity's appeal, as well as a significant demand. Many drugs, including heroin, morphine, and codeine, are derived from it.

According to the report, opium poppy growing areas would increase by one-third to 40,100 hectares by 2022, with highly advanced agricultural procedures. Opium yields have also reached their greatest level since the UNODC began measuring the metric in 2002.

The so-called "Golden Triangle" region, which connects the borders of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos, has historically been a major source of opium and heroin manufacturing.

• Global corporations are supplying Myanmar with lethal weapons.
• Who are the rulers of Myanmar who executed activists?

Myanmar's neighbors, according to Mr. Douglas, should examine and solve the situation: "They will need to weigh some difficult decisions."

He went on to say that these solutions should take into account the difficulties that people in traditional opium-growing areas suffer, such as isolation and war.

"At the end of the day, opium growing is primarily about money," said Benedikt Hofmann, UNODC's Myanmar country manager.

"Without alternatives and economic stability, opium planting and production are likely to spread," he warned.