Arunachal Pradesh tops in poppy cultivation; raises security concerns

NEW DELHI: Tucked away in the far northeast corner, Arunachal Pradesh has emerged on the top among the illegal opium poppy producers in the country, ringing alarm bells among security agencies given its proximity with Myanmar and other nations notorious for cultivation of the contraband.

Due to geographic closeness with the 'golden triangle' of Myanmar, Lao PDR and Thailand, infamous for opium and heroin production and trafficking, security agencies are concerned that the state with favourable climate for poppy cultivation has started to act as an extension of the international mafia indulging in the illegal trade and a report in this regard has been submitted to the Union Home Ministry.

Of the total 2,530 acres of poppy crop destroyed across the country by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) during 2014-15, the sparsely populated state with a population of just 13.82 lakh, as per official figures, accounted for nearly 40 per cent with 1,067 acres.

During 2013-14, of around the same acreage of poppy destroyed by NCB, 1,222 acres were in Arunachal Pradesh. Making matters worse, the drug enforcement agency has noticed a spurt in illegal cultivation over the last couple of years.

According to officials, armed militia guard the farms where clandestine cultivation takes place and officials have been attacked when they tried to step in to stop the illegal activity.

"In 2012 we destroyed less than 400 acres of poppy in Arunachal, which jumped to 1,222 acres and 1,067 acres, respectively, in the next two years. The government is serious over the development," NCB Deputy Director General (Operations) Deb Jyoti Ray told.

The figures could be just the tip of the iceberg as NCB sources said they could not penetrate deep into the remote state as their teams assisted by administrative officials of the concerned districts were attacked by armed locals.