In 2023, Myanmar has emerged as the world’s largest producer of opium, surpassing Afghanistan, as per a recent report from the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The shift in rankings follows the Taliban government’s crackdown on opium trade in Afghanistan.
The report indicates that Myanmar produced an estimated 1,080 metric tonnes of opium, a crucial ingredient in heroin production, during the current year. This marks an increase from the estimated 790 metric tonnes produced in the previous year. Afghanistan, on the other hand, witnessed a significant decline in opium production, plummeting by approximately 95% to around 330 metric tons following the Taliban’s prohibition of poppy cultivation in April of the preceding year.
The notorious “Golden Triangle” region, straddling Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, has long been notorious for illegal drug production and trafficking, particularly involving methamphetamine and opium.
The estimated value of Myanmar’s “opiate economy” has surged to a range between $1 billion and $2.4 billion, equivalent to 1.7 to 4.1 percent of the country’s GDP in 2022, according to UNODC. The legal economy of Myanmar has faced severe challenges due to conflict and instability since the military seized power in 2021, leading many farmers to turn to poppy cultivation.
Factors such as poor market access, deficient state infrastructure, and high inflation have contributed to the decision of farmers to cultivate more poppy, the report suggests. The estimated opium production for 2022–23 has reached its highest level in more than two decades, according to UNODC.
The report also highlights the increasing sophistication of poppy cultivation in Myanmar, with greater investment and improved practices, including enhanced irrigation and the potential use of fertilizers, leading to higher crop yields.
In Afghanistan, which held the position of the world’s largest opium producer for several years, poppy cultivation has dwindled following the Taliban’s commitment to ending illegal drug production. Poppy crops accounted for nearly a third of the country’s total agricultural production value last year, but the area used for poppy cultivation decreased significantly from 233,000 hectares in late 2022 to 10,800 hectares in 2023.
Shan State, particularly its northern part, serves as the primary cultivation area in Myanmar, constituting about 88 percent of the national opium poppy areas. The state has recently experienced intensified conflict, with ethnic minority armed groups launching an offensive against the junta and its allies.
The UN report indicates that opium cultivation has also increased in northern Kachin State and Chin State along the border with India. Despite the military’s claims to combat the multi-billion-dollar trade, analysts argue that its efforts have not been effective, as revealed by a rare admission earlier this year from the head of Myanmar’s Central Committee on Drug Abuse Control.
