Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh.
The northeastern state of Manipur continues to curb illegal opium cultivation. According to an official report released by the Manipur government, approximately 20,000 acres of illegal opium cultivation in at least 12 districts have been destroyed since 2017.
According to the state government, a total of 19,135.60 acres of illegal opium cultivation have been destroyed in Manipur in the past seven years. During this period, a maximum of 4,454.4 acres of opium cultivation in Kangpokpi district was destroyed.
Remote sensing and geographic information systems technology can help
After Kangpokpi district, 3,348 acres of opium cultivation was destroyed in Ukhrul district and 2,713.8 acres in Churachandpur district. This is revealed in a report on the mapping and assessment of opium growing areas using remote sensing and GIS technologies.
The work to destroy illegal cultivation is being carried out by the Manipur Remote Sensing Application Center under the Planning Department based on data provided by the “Narcotics and Border Affairs” wing of the state police.
Illicit opium cultivation reduced
Other illegal opium cultivation areas destroyed include 2,575 acres in Tenupal district, 1,982.5 acres in Chandel district and 1,682 acres in Senapati district, the report said. This shows that the area under opium cultivation in nine districts of the state was 28,598.91 acres in 2021-22, which decreased to only 11,288.1 acres in 2023-24.
According to the study, the effect of this effort was that illicit opium cultivation began to decline. The area under opium cultivation decreased by 32.13% from 2023 to 2024 compared to 2022-23. Chief Minister N Biren Singh said in a post on social media platform
