Zoland People’s Defence Force (PDF) and Zoland People’s Police Force (PPF) destroyed 20 acres of poppy fields in Tedim Township, Chin State during a joint anti-narcotics operation on 22 and 23 October 2024.
Warning letters had been sent to the owners of the poppy fields telling them to remove the poppy. But they did not comply, so Zoland PDF and PPF held a joint operation to destroy the fields.
A senior member of Zoland PDF said: “During these challenging times, illegal opium poppy cultivation is a harmful business to the people and nation. To prevent the destruction of our future generations and the potential collapse of our society, we had to take immediate action to eradicate this threat.”
Poppy cultivation in Chin State’s Tedim Township and Tonzang Town has significantly increased in 2024, compared to previous years, according to a local farmer.
He said: “In the past, poppy cultivation was primarily done by locals in remote areas beyond the government's reach. Nowadays, wealthy city dwellers hire workers and rent land to cultivate poppy fields, typically at least two acres. In a good harvest, fortunate farmers can yield over two viss [about 3.26 kg] of raw opium poppy from two acres. However, yields can vary significantly, with some less fortunate farmers only managing to harvest about three or four khaini tins.” (One viss is about 1.63 kg and a khaini tin is a small tin for holding betel nut, measuring about 5cm tall and 6.35 cm in diameter.)
Last year, farmers were able to sell one viss of raw opium poppy for between 8 and 10 million kyats (MMK). However, they expect the price to increase to between 10 million and 16 million kyats this season.
October is poppy harvest time and local farmers have reported that young people from nearby villages and places further afield, such as Kale Township and Khampat Town are coming to Tedim Township to work on the poppy harvest.
According to a 2023 survey, that year, in Chin State poppy was cultivated on 500 hectares (2,335 acres) of land and Chin State was the third largest poppy cultivation state in Myanmar.
