Opium poppy cultivation in conflict-ridden Myanmar has reached its highest level in ten years, rising by 17 percent over the past year as ongoing fighting and economic instability push more farmers toward the illegal crop, the United Nations reported on Wednesday (Dec 3). According to a new report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), poppy cultivation expanded from 45,200 hectares in 2024 to 53,100 hectares this year, reinforcing Myanmar’s role as the world’s largest known producer of illicit opium at a time when production in Afghanistan continues to fall.

“Myanmar is at a pivotal point,” said Delphine Schantz, UNODC’s representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. “The significant rise in cultivation shows how strongly the opium economy has re-emerged in recent years and highlights the potential for even further growth.” The country has been mired in political chaos since the military overthrew the elected government in 2021, removing Aung San Suu Kyi from power and triggering a widespread armed resistance. Despite a brutal civil war, the junta is preparing for a heavily criticised national election starting Dec 28.

Attempts to reach a junta spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful. UNODC noted that after several years of decline, poppy cultivation has consistently increased since 2020, driven largely by soaring opium prices, which have doubled during that period. The steepest increases were seen in eastern Shan State (up 32 percent) and Chin State (up 26 percent), while southern Shan State continues to be the main region for poppy farming, accounting for 44 percent of the national total. All of these areas are currently experiencing clashes between the military and armed groups.

For the first time, the survey detected 552 hectares of poppy fields in northern Sagaing Region near the Indian border, indicating that cultivation is spreading into new areas. “With the rise in Chin State and new findings in Sagaing, attention is increasingly turning toward Myanmar’s western border regions and what this may mean for neighbouring countries,” the UNODC added.