Myanmar became the world’s biggest producer of opium in 2023, overtaking Afghanistan after the Taliban government’s crackdown on the trade, according to a United Nations report.
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Myanmar produced an estimated 1,080 metric tonnes of opium – essential for producing heroin – this year, according to the latest report by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The figures come after opium production in Afghanistan slumped an estimated 95% to about 330 tonnes after the Taliban’s ban on poppy cultivation in April last year, according to UNODC.
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The “Golden Triangle” border region between Myanmar, Laos and Thailand has long been a hotbed of illegal drug production and trafficking, particularly of methamphetamine and opium.
The total estimated value of Myanmar’s “opiate economy” rose to between $1bn and $2.4bn – the equivalent of 1.7% to 4.1% of the country’s 2022 GDP, the UNODC said.
