The “Golden Triangle” border region between Myanmar, Laos and Thailand has long been a hotbed of illegal drug production and trafficking, particularly of methamphetamine and opium.
Poor access to markets and state infrastructure as well as rampant inflation “appears to have played a significant role in farmers’ decisions in late 2022 to cultivate more poppy”, the report said.
UNODC said poppy cultivation in Myanmar was becoming more sophisticated, with increased investment and better practices – including improved irrigation and possible use of fertilisers – pushing up crop yields.
In Myanmar, the main cultivating area is Shan state, the northern part of which has been convulsed by fighting in recent weeks after an alliance of ethnic minority armed groups launched an offensive against the junta and its allies.
An array of ethnic armed organisations that can call on tens of thousands of well-armed fighters control swathes of the state, which the UN says is also south-east Asia’s primary source of methamphetamine.
In a rare admission earlier this year, the head of Myanmar’s Central Committee on Drug Abuse Control said its efforts to crush the trade were having no impact.
The original article contains 481 words, the summary contains 188 words. Saved 61%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!