364 MT legally produced opium handed over to Centre

NEEMUCH (MP): Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have handed over 364.5 MT of opium to the Government of India produced by farmers in the two states under licence.

This opium stock was produced by 45,633 farmers of the two states by sowing the crop in 5612.12 hectares, Sitaram Sharma, Deputy Commissioner-Narcotics (Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan), told PTI here today.

The licence to produce opium, which is used in medicines, in select areas is issued every year by the Central Bureau of Narcotics. The Bureau is also responsible for overall supervision of opium cultivation.

Of the 364.5 MT, 197.5 MT was produced by 25,679 farmers belonging to 845 villages in Madhya Pradesh and 167 MT by 19,954 farmers in 711 villages in Rajasthan, Sharma said.

The Centre had set a target of producing 58kg opium per hectare, but farmers in Madhya Pradesh produced 63.66 kg and those in Rajasthan 64.77 kg a hectare, he said.