Myanmar Joins The Economy, Overtakes Afghanistan As The World's Largest Opium Producer

Heroin-producing opium plants. (Unsplash-Jens Vogel)

JAKARTA - In broad daylight eroding the sap from the seeds in a remote opium flower field in Myanmar, Aung Hla leans on narcotics plants so that his kitchen continues to grow in the midst of the civil war that continues to occur in his country.

The 35-year-old was a rice farmer when the military junta seized Myanmar power in a coup in 2021.

Four years later, the United Nations (UN) said Myanmar was mired in a "polycrisis" of conflict, poverty, and deteriorating environmental damage.

In Myanmar, pro-democracy insurgents emerged after the coup carried out by the military junta, adding to the rule of civil war between the military and armed ethnic groups.

The conflict left Aung Hla expelled from his residence in Moe Bye Village.

After finding a new location for residence, the agricultural sources he usually grows no longer produce the coffers of life. The hope is then given up on opium flowers which he thinks are promising for daily livelihoods.

"Everyone thinks that growing opium flowers is getting rich, but we're just trying hard to survive," Aung Hla said in the rural city of Pekon, eastern Shan state, Myanmar, to AFP, quoted March 10.

However, he admitted that he regretted having cultivated the substance, which is the main ingredient of heroin. For him, his efforts so far have only been to avoid hunger.

"If there are people who are in my position, they might do the same," continued Aung Hla.

Myanmar's opium production was previously second in the world after Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is known to be the highest opium farm earner after the United States (US) invaded the region after the September 11, 2001 incident.

But recently, the Taliban government made regulatory improvements, Myanmar then overtook Afghanistan as the world's largest producer of opium by 2023, according to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

According to the UNODC, the Myanmar opium economy includes the value of domestic consumption and exports abroad, estimated at between US$589 million and US$1.57 billion.

The Fate Of Leaning On Opium

Between September and February every year, dozens of farmers work hard in the Pekon field, slicing underwheated opium seeds, which secrete a little sticky chocolate sap.

Aung Naing, 48, carefully moved the resin collected from a small trough to a leaf plate.

Naing sejatu dengan Aung Hla, menjadi petani opium bahan utama heroin.

Before the Myanmar military coup, Naing had converted to become a opium farmer, but the economy cornered him. The difficulty due to the violence of the military junta forced him to re-plant opium.

"Emerging opium is increasing because of the difficulty of people finding livelihoods," he said.

Most farmers grow opium out of poverty. People who can't live in their villages fled to the forest to work in the opium field, continued Naing.

Naing said opium produces slightly higher profits than food crops such as corn, tofu, and potatoes, which are susceptible to disease when it rains. According to UNODC, fresh opium is generally sold by Myanmar farmers for more than 300 US dollars per kilo by 2024, the lowest price it gets on the international black market. In reality, in Myanmar, opium is more expensive to produce than labor-intensive rice, requiring less fertilizer, and low yield. Naing said, it only generates a profit of about 30 US dollars for each kilo of opium sales.

Naing said opium produces slightly higher profits than food crops such as corn, tofu, and potatoes, which are prone to disease when it rains.

According to UNODC, fresh opium is generally sold by Myanmar farmers for more than 300 US dollars per kilo by 2024, the lowest price it gets on the international black market.

In fact, in Myanmar, opium is more expensive to produce than labor-intensive rice, requires expensive fertilizer, and a little harvest.

Naing said it only generates around 30 US dollars in profits for each kilo of opium sales.