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OPIUM POPPY
CULTIVATION AND PROCEDURE IN INDIA
In India opium poppy cultivation is
prohibited, under Section 8 of NDPS Act, 1985, except under a license issued
by the Central Bureau of Narcotics under Rule 8 of NDPS Rules, 1985. At
present, the licit opium poppy cultivation is permitted by the Govt. of
India in Selected
Tracts (see tract notification) in three
traditionally opium growing States namely
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. As a signatory to the United
Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 and as a licit producer
of opium, India is required to adhere to the regulations under the said
convention.
Licences to cultivators to
cultivate opium poppy are issued in terms of
General Conditions relating to
grant of licence notified by the Central Government. The licence for cultivation of opium poppy is granted by the
District Opium Officer on receipt of a payment of fee of Rs.25/- only. Normally, the Settlement Operation is held in the month of
October-November every year.
The Distt. Opium Officer also appoints a Lambardar
on such terms and conditions as have been specified by the Narcotics
Commissioner, from a panel of five highest yielding cultivators in a village. A cultivator wise Joint Licence for the village is also issued to him
During the crop year 2008
(i.e. crop year 2008-09), licenses have been issued to those cultivators who
had tendered an average yield of not less than 56 Kgs/hectare in MP and
Rajasthan and 49 kgs/hectare in UP during the crop year 2007-08.
From the end of December of
each year, the CBN officers start exercising statutory control. They measure each and every field to
check excess cultivation than the licensed area. This exercise is known as
Measurement and is conducted by Sub-Inspector with
the help of one Sepoy. The condonable limit in respect of excess
in cultivated area shall not exceed 5% of the licensed area. In this
connection, the measuring officer is required to record details of the
cultivators, area found excess in his field book, joint license and
miniature license. The incharge of the measurement party can get excess
cultivation uprooted under his supervision. No panchnama would be drawn but
the incharge of the party would enter the details of the uprooted area in
the joint license against the name of the concerned cultivator. In case the
cultivator refuses to uproot excess cultivation, beyond the condonable
limit, then a regular panchnama is drawn and details thereof mentioned in
the joint license as well as individual license. In such cases measures are
taken for immediate cancellation of the license of the cultivator and the
whole crop uprooted under departmental supervision.
Towards the end of measurement
operation a percentage of these fields is taken up for Test Measurement to
detect any discrepancies.
Opium crop may suffer
some damage due to natural calamity, rains, hailstorm, plant diseases,
etc. Such damage occurs prior to lancing the capsules and post
lancing. To give relief to those cultivators whose opium crop had been
damaged due to natural calamities, they are allowed to get their unlanced
damaged crop uprooted under departmental supervision. A cultivator can get
his damaged crop uprooted before lancing has commenced provided the area to
be uprooted is not less than 10% of the plot, subject to the minimum of one
Are (100 Ares = 1 hectare). No uprooting is permitted after lancing has commenced in a particular
plot.
Partial uprooting is permitted but not in patches. For each partial and full uprooting panchnama are to be drawn and entry made in the joint as well as individual
license.
In the month of February-March, the
opium capsule is ready for lancing or extraction of opium by incision of
opium capsule. The latex that oozes out of the capsule is collected by the
cultivator on daily basis and the weight of such opium is recorded in a
register called preliminary weighment register (PWR) maintained by the
village Lambardar. CBN staff periodically checks the entries in PWR against
the physical stock with the cultivator and in
case of any discrepancy, action against the cultivator is taken.
In case, where excess
quantity recovered is more than 3 kgs, appropriate action like
seizure, arrest etc. is taken. By the end of March, the
collection of opium from the plant is almost complete. The opium cultivator is required
by law to produce whole opium of the land
cultivated with opium poppy to the Distt. Opium Officer. At this time, CBN
sets up procurement centers (also known as Weighment Centres) for the
collection of this opium. The operation is known as Weighment. Weighment
Centres are normally set up within the vicinity of the opium growing
villages.
When the opium is tendered, two very
small samples are taken for (i) Hot Air Oven testing; (ii) For testing
the presence of sugar, starch & gum, etc. The Oven test method basically
comprises of drawal of a very small sample from the opium produce of each
cultivator and heating of the sample in an oven to evaporate the moisture.
After examination and
oven testing, the opium is classified by the Distt. Opium Officer in
different grades as per the consistence of opium and the class is announced
publicly. The different classes of opium are indicated in the table given
below. After weighing the class-wise opium of concerned cultivators, the
quantity of opium tendered by the cultivator is converted into quantity at
standard consistence i.e. 70ºC and 90% payment to the cultivators is made at
the spot itself. The good opium is then sent
to the Govt. Opium Factory where it is again tested for
its consistence, quality, presence of impurities and adulterants by the
chemical staff. On the basis of this final test, the final classification
of opium is determined and final payment due to a cultivator is calculated.
Accordingly, either the balance payment is made to the cultivator or in case
of down-gradation the excess amount recovered from cultivators.
The opium is classified by
the Distt. Opium Officer as per the consistence of the opium and the
different class of the opium is as under-
|
S. No. |
Distinctive Mark |
Degree of
consistence included in each class |
|
1. |
XXX |
79, 80, 81 |
|
2. |
XX |
76, 77, 78 |
|
3. |
X |
73, 74, 75 |
|
4. |
I |
70, 71, 72 |
|
5. |
II |
67, 68, 69 |
|
6. |
III |
64, 65, 66 |
|
7. |
IV |
61, 62, 63 |
|
8. |
V |
58, 59, 60 |
|
9. |
Water Mixed-I (WM-I) |
55, 56, 57 |
|
10. |
Water Mixed-II (WM-II) |
52, 53, 54 |
|
11. |
Water Mixed-III (WM-III) |
49, 50, 51 |
|
12. |
Water
Mixed-IV (WM-IV) |
46, 47, 48 |
|
13. |
Suspect |
45 and below |
50 grams (approx.) sample of
opium is drawn from opium produce of each cultivator at Weighment Centre and
after it properly sealed in his presence sent to the Govt. Opium Factory for
carrying out further test in the event of any good opium container is found
inferior during testing by the Factory. This helps in identifying the
cultivator responsible for adulteration and punish
him under the law.
Where the cultivator is dis-satisfied
with the classification of opium done by the Distt. Opium Officer he may
have it forwarded to the Govt. Opium
Factory separately, after having it properly sealed in his presence and the
presence of the concerned Lambardar.
When opium delivered by a
cultivator to the Distt. Opium Officer is suspected of being adulterated
with any foreign substance, it is forwarded to the Govt. Opium Factory
separately after having it properly sealed
in the presence of the cultivator and the concerned Lambardar.
The sealed container of opium so
received in the factory is opened and sample for test is drawn thereof in
the presence of the cultivator, if he so desires, to whom, a notice
intimating the date and time in this behalf is sent well in advance.
Class-wise opium is mixed
and dispatched to opium factory in the plastic containers of 35 kgs
capacity.
The opium so procured is sent to the Government Opium
and Alkaloid Factories situated at Neemuch and Ghazipur. These factories are under the
independent control of
the Chief Controller of Factories, whose headquarters at Gwalior-New Delhi. (Click
here for the addresses and
phone numbers of their
offices and factories). A part of such opium is
converted to Alkaloids for supply to manufacturers of medicines (about 150-200 tons).
A large quantity of raw opium is however exported out of India for medicinal
purposes.
The
main importing countries are USA, Japan, Hungary, UK, France, Thailand.
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