Opium farmers demand more farming licences, ₹1 lakh per kilogram

Ahead of the opium licensing policy announcement for 2026-27 in September, farmers from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have demanded higher licensing numbers and opium prices at ₹1,00,000 per kilogram. At a protest in Jantar Mantar, the Bharatiya Afeem Kisan Sangharsh Samiti urged the government to restore cancelled opium leases since 1990 and expand cultivation.

The farmers argued that morphine yield depends on natural factors and called for licenses based on a three kilogram per hectare yield. They also demanded the removal of poppy straws from the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the discontinuation of the Concentrate of Poppy Straw method, promoting traditional cultivation instead.

The 2025-26 policy aimed to grant licenses to nearly 1.21 lakh farmers, a 23.5% increase from the previous year, benefiting around 15,000 additional farmers. The government pledged to ensure a supply of alkaloids for medical and palliative care while increasing processing capacity.