Opium production in Myanmar has fallen for the first time since a military coup in 2021, the UN said Thursday, but the country remains the world’s biggest producer of the narcotic.
Poppies have long flourished in Myanmar’s remote borderlands, where ethnic minority armed groups and criminal outfits refine them into heroin and law enforcement turns a blind eye to the billion-dollar trade, analysts say.
Last year Myanmar became the world’s biggest producer of opium, harvesting 1,080 tons of the narcotic—more than double that of previous leader Afghanistan after the Taliban government cracked down on poppy cultivation.
Myanmar produced 995 tons of opium in 2024, according to the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
There was a “strong correlation” between the reduced harvest and escalating conflict. . .
First month free on monthly subscriptions
Hear crucial voices from Myanmar during this time of crisis and get access to our independent coverage. Subscribe now for the first month free.
Already a subscriber? Log in
