Annual Licensing Policy for Opium Cultivation for 2025-26 | 16 Sep 2025
Why in News?
The Union Government has announced the annual licensing policy for opium poppy cultivation in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh for 2025-26, increasing eligible farmers to 1.21 lakh.
Annual Licensing Policy for Opium Cultivation for 2025-26
- It is designed to maintain a consistent supply of alkaloids for medical and palliative use while fostering self-reliance in opium and alkaloid production through government-run factories.
- The policy sets eligibility rules, offers incentives for high-performing farmers, and regulates those who do not meet performance standards.
- Under the “Make for World” vision, efforts are being made to promote Indian pharmaceutical companies by ensuring modernization and global quality standards.
- As part of this, the Government Alkaloid Factory at Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh) has achieved World Health Organization (WHO) Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification.
What is Opium Poppy?
- About: The opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) is an annual medicinal herb belonging to the Papaveraceae family.
- It is the primary source of opium gum, which contains alkaloids like morphine, codeine, and thebaine, widely used in modern medicine as painkillers, cough suppressants, and antispasmodics.
- Apart from medicinal use, it is also grown for edible seeds and seed oil.
- Favourable Conditions: Grows best in temperate climate and winter cultivation possible in sub-tropical regions.
- Cultivation needs well-drained, fertile light black or loamy soil with pH around 7.0.
- Frost, desiccating conditions, cloudy or rainy weather lower both quantity and quality of opium.
- Opium Cultivation in India: India is the only country authorized by the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961) to produce gum opium. 11 other countries cultivate opium poppy, but they do not extract gum.
- Opium poppy has been cultivated in India since the 10th century. It became a federal monopoly during the Mughal period in the 16th century, came under British control from 1773, and is now regulated by the Indian government.
- Regulation: Under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, cultivation of opium poppy is strictly prohibited except under a license issued by the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN) (Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh).
- Cultivators are required to sell their entire opium production to CBN, with the price fixed by the government.
- Currently, licit cultivation is permitted only in selected tracts of the three traditional opium-growing states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
- As a signatory to the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961, India is required to strictly adhere to the provisions and regulations outlined in the Convention while managing its opium production.