Farmers exultant over alien poppy strain

Drugs

Farmers exultant over alien poppy strain

Reporter: King Cobra & Hawkeye

Poppy seeds believed to be of Indian strain have been making a strong showing, say sources from the border.

One of the farmers, a 53-year old northern Shan of Loi Khilek range, Mongton township, opposite Chiangmai, told S.H.A.N., "Everyone here who had bought the seeds are jubilant. Just look at my field. One part of it was sown with the indigenous seeds, 3 milk-cans of them, and the other with the new seeds, just 2 milk-canfuls."

The comparative results were simply astounding, he exclaimed: While the "indigenous part" had yielded two and a half viss (1 viss = 1.6 kg) leaving the pods shrunk and dry, the "foreign part" is giving him four and a half viss and the pods are still producing sap.

The seeds were sold by Captain Han Sein of Infantry Battalion 65, who retired on 4 December at 100 kyat ($ 0.10) per condensed milkcan, last August, which the villagers say was twice as much as the price of the indigenous strain.

Already Kokang businessmen in the area have offered to buy the season's harvest for 20,000 baht ($ 500). Last year, it was 350,000 kyat ($350).

The price hike appears to be the trend elsewhere as well. In southern Shan State, across the Salween, it is 390,000 - 400,000 kyat ($390-400), while in the north, it is between 800,000 - 1,000,000 kyat ($ 800 - 1,000).

Related Report: Officers peddle poppy seeds, 27 September 2004