2023-12-12 10:56:35
Myanmar has replaced Afghanistan as the world’s largest opium producer, according to the United Nations. The Southeast Asian country produced an estimated 1,080 tonnes of the precursor to heroin this year, according to a report published on Tuesday by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Last year, production was estimated at 790 tons.
According to the UN report, the value of opium production in Myanmar grew to between one billion and 2.4 billion dollars (up to 2.2 billion euros). This corresponds to between 1.7 and 4.1 percent of Myanmar’s gross domestic product in 2022. Opium is obtained from opium poppies and is the raw material for the drug heroin.
In Afghanistan, opium production has now fallen massively after the ruling Taliban banned the cultivation of opium poppies in April 2022. According to UNODC, production fell by 95 percent to around 330 tons.
#Myanmar #largest #opium #producer #ahead #Afghanistan