Opium farmers demand more farming licences, ₹1 lakh per kilogram
Opium farmers from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh are protesting for increased licensing and higher procurement prices from the government. They are also demanding a shift away from the Concentrate of Poppy Straw method in favor of traditional cultivation practices.
Why it matters
The dispute highlights the tension between government agricultural policy, international narcotic regulations, and the economic livelihoods of traditional farmers.
Ahead of the announcement of the opium licensing policy for 2026-27, scheduled for September, opium farmers from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have urged the Union Government to formulate it in a manner that benefits the country and farmers.
At a protest meeting in Jantar Mantar here on Monday (August 17, 2026), under the banner of Bharatiya Afeem Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, the licensee farmers said the number of opium licenses for medicinal opium cultivation should be increased, and the price of opium procured by the Government should be hiked to ₹1,00,000 per kilogram for farmers, in line with the international market price.
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