Soaring opium production

Opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar and Lao PDR rose to 63,800 hectares (ha) in 2014 compared to 61,200 ha in 2013, increasing for the eighth consecutive year and nearly tripling the amount harvested in 2006, according to a report published on December 8 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The paper, titled Southeast Asia Opium Survey 2014 - Lao PDR, Myanmar, states that Myanmar remains Southeast Asia's top opium producer - and the world's second largest after Afghanistan. Together, Myanmar and Lao PDR produced an estimated 762 metric tons of opium, most of which - using smuggled precursor chemicals like acetyl anhydride - was refined into an estimated 76 tons of heroin and then trafficked to markets in neighboring countries and outside the region.

Jeremy Douglas, the UNODC regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, says in a DW interview that not only is the heroin from the "Golden Triangle" - the area adjoining Myanmar, Laos and Thailand - reaching areas as far away as North America. The traffickers are also making enormous profits which they use to support other criminal activity and launder money into the regional economy, thus challenging stability and the rule of law in the region.

DW: Is the 'Golden Triangle' becoming a major hub for opium production?

Jeremy Douglas: The Golden Triangle has been a major production area of opium for years. While the area designed to produce opium declined significantly from the late 1990s to 2006, it started rising again in 2007, and it has been expanding year-on-year since.

How come the opium production in this area has tripled over the last eight years?

There is no one reason. The areas where cultivation takes place remain isolated, poor and food insecure, and the central governments do not have control. Because the farmers are poor and have little in the way of alternative economic options, they grow opium to survive and support their families. At the same the area is adjacent to major markets for heroin.

The increase comes despite promises by the reformist Myanmar government to eradicate the problem. Why has the governments failed to effectively tackle the issue?

There is no one reason or easy answer. Keep in mind the areas where cultivation takes place are isolated and not under government control, and for the government to take action means negotiating with those that have control.

Myanmar's government also has recently emerged from a long period of isolation and is now engaging with international partners that want to assist with programs to help develop the areas producing opium. At the same time, the government is saying they want to increase efforts, so let's see what the future holds.

How is the opium being produced in Myanmar, Lao and Thailand?

Opium is farmed in rural areas of Myanmar and Lao, generally after a slash and burn clearing of forest. There is almost no cultivation of opium poppy left in Thailand - maybe 200 hectares (ha) per year or a little more.

What are the major markets for Southeast Asian opium?

Opium is consumed in the areas where it is produced and trafficked in the region, but it is mostly used for heroin production. The heroin is trafficked to major markets in China, Thailand and other parts East and Southeast Asia, and also to markets outside the region including Australia and even North America.

What are the main consequences of this sharp rise in production?

There are many consequences. The farmers growing opium poppy are making very little and cannot escape poverty, the traffickers are making enormous profits which they use to support other criminal activity and launder money into the economy of the region.

Public officials are corrupted to allow for trafficking to take place, health systems are burdened by drug use and the spread of related problems including HIV from injection of heroin, and the law enforcement and criminal justice systems are overwhelmed by cases.

What can the international community do to curb production?

There are many things to be done. First and foremost, the drug issue in the Golden Triangle needs to become a top, if not the top, development priority for national and regional authorities. Priority needs to be given to long term investment in alternative economic development programs that will move farmers to other sources of sustainable income.

Law enforcement needs support to secure borders from trafficking of precursor chemicals into the Golden Triangle - heroin can only be made using certain chemicals that are only available outside the Golden Triangle - and drugs out, and health systems need support to deliver treatment and care for drug use.

Most of the resources will need to come from the governments of Myanmar and Lao, and from within the region, and international partners can assist. Importantly, plans need to have a long term perspective, meaning 5-10 years, as it is impossible to turn the situation around in a short period of time. But when given priority, good planning and resources, much can be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time.

Jeremy Douglas is regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).