myanmar-overtakes-afghanistan-as-a-leader-in-opium-production

Myanmar overtakes Afghanistan as a leader in opium production

 • 33047 переглядiв

Myanmar is now the world's largest opium producer, overtaking Afghanistan, according to a UN report, UNN reports with reference to the BBC.

Details

This year, opium production is estimated to grow by 36% to 1080 tons, far exceeding the 330 tons reportedly produced in Afghanistan.

Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has declined by 95% since the drug ban imposed by the ruling Taliban last year.

Meanwhile, cultivation has expanded in Myanmar, where a brutal civil war has made it a lucrative source of income.

"The disruptions to the economy, security and governance that have occurred since the military coup in February 2021 continue to push farmers in remote areas to turn to opium to earn a living," said Jeremy Douglas, regional representative for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

Opium, a key ingredient in the powerful drug heroin, has been grown for decades in Myanmar, where it has financed rebel groups fighting the government, the newspaper writes.

But in the past year alone, as the civil war triggered by the 2021 coup raged, cultivation has increased by about 18% - it has also become "increasingly sophisticated," the report says, and more productive through the use of tightly organized plots, irrigation systems and sometimes fertilizers.

Heroin production and trafficking is the most lucrative activity in the opium economy: the report estimates that up to 154 tons of heroin, worth up to $2.2 billion, were exported from Myanmar this year.

Appendix

The region where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet - the so-called "Golden Triangle" - has historically been a major source of opium and heroin production. Myanmar and Afghanistan, as noted by the BBC, are the sources of most of the heroin sold around the world.

Julia Shramko

News of the World

    Popular

    Representative of Ukraine to visit South Korea soon: will talk about weapons

     • 19968 переглядiв

    Zinchenko released the autobiography "Believe": how much is it worth

     • 40299 переглядiв

    Will Ukraine demand an arrest warrant for Kim Jong-un from the ICC? Zelensky answered

     • 22832 переглядiв

    LV released a dog house for $66 thousand

     • 70363 переглядiв

    News by theme

    Myanmar overtakes Afghanistan as a leader in opium production

     • 33047 переглядiв

    Sports Illustrated CEO fired a few weeks after AI scandal

     • 31634 переглядiв

    Ukraine may introduce a tax on excess profits during the war

     • 42214 переглядiв

    Fire in a house that caught fire after a missile strike is localized

     • 41036 переглядiв

    The number of victims of a rocket attack in the capital has increased to 12 people

     • 37546 переглядiв

    The number of victims of the attack in Kyiv has increased to seven

     • 40339 переглядiв

    Texas Supreme Court strikes down abortion exemption

     • 30465 переглядiв

    After a rocket attack, rescuers evacuated people from a burning building

     • 32832 переглядiв