Illegal poppy cultivation in Manipur declined sharply in four years: Survey

IMPHAL: A recent survey by the Manipur Remote Sensing Applications Centre (MARSAC) reveals a significant reduction in illegal poppy cultivation in Manipur over the past four years.

Utilizing advanced mapping and estimation methods, the study highlights the impact of the state's "War on Drugs" initiative, spearheaded by Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh since 2021.

The survey, conducted between September 2023 and January 2024, mapped poppy cultivation areas across nine hill districts of Manipur: Chandel, Churachandpur, Kamjong, Kangpokpi, Noney, Senapati, Tamenglong, Tengnoupal, and Ukhrul.

The findings indicate a drop in poppy cultivation from 16,632.29 acres in the 2022-2023 period to 11,288.07 acres in 2023-2024.

This marks a 32.13% decrease compared to the previous year.

Comparatively, the initial MARSAC report from 2021-2022 showed 28,598.91 acres under poppy cultivation in eight districts, with Kangpokpi having the largest area at 9,517.90 acres. This number decreased by 40.94% to 16,890.37 acres in 2022-2023.

Detailed district-wise data reveals notable declines. In Churachandpur, poppy cultivation dropped from 6,688.61 acres in 2021-2022 to 4,062.04 acres in 2022-2023.

Similarly, Kangpokpi saw a reduction from 9,517.90 acres in 2021-2022 to 5,407.47 acres in 2022-2023.

While Tamenglong had approximately 96.06 acres of poppy cultivation in 2022-2023, Noney, which was poppy-free in 2021-2022, recorded 132.36 acres in 2022-2023.

Pherzawl remains the only poppy-free hill district in Manipur.

An official report from the Narcotics and Affairs of Border (NAB) supports MARSAC's findings, showing significant progress in eradicating poppy cultivation from 2017 to 2024.

NAB reported the destruction of 19,135.50 acres of poppy plantations during this period, with the highest destruction rates in Kangpokpi at 4,454.4 acres, followed by Churachandpur at 2,317.8 acres.