A recent UN report reveals that Myanmar has become the world's leading opium producer, surpassing Afghanistan. Opium production in Myanmar is estimated to increase by 36% to 1,080 tonnes this year, significantly exceeding the reported 330 tonnes from Afghanistan, where poppy cultivation plummeted by 95% following a drug ban by the Taliban. In Myanmar, the expansion of opium cultivation is attributed to the economic opportunities it offers amid a brutal civil war, with farmers turning to it as a means of livelihood.
