In 2023 Myanmar became the world's biggest producer of opium, overtaking Afghanistan

Total estimated value of Myanmar's "Opiate Economy" rose to between $1 billion and $2.4 billion...

Myanmar became the world's biggest producer of opium in 2023, overtaking Afghanistan after the Taliban government's crackdown on the trade, according to a United Nations report released on Tuesday.

Myanmar produced an estimated 1,080 metric tonnes of opium -- essential for producing heroin -- this year, according to the latest report by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 

The figures come after opium production in Afghanistan slumped an estimated 95 per cent to around 330 tonnes following the Taliban's ban on poppy cultivation in April last year, according to UNODC.

The "Golden Triangle" border region between Myanmar, Laos and Thailand has long been a hotbed of illegal drug production and trafficking, particularly of methamphetamine and opium.

The total estimated value of Myanmar's "opiate economy" rose to between $1 billion and $2.4 billion -- the equivalent of 1.7 to 4.1 per cent of the country's 2022 GDP, UNODC said.

Poor access to markets and state infrastructure as well as rampant inflation "appears to have played a significant role in farmers' decisions in late 2022 to cultivate more poppy", the report said.

Estimated opium production for 2022-23 was at its highest level for more than 20 years, UNODC said. 

UNODC also said poppy cultivation in Myanmar was becoming more sophisticated, with increased investment and better practices -- including improved irrigation and possible use of fertilisers -- pushing up crop yields.

Afghanistan, the world's biggest producer for some years, has seen cultivation collapse after the Taliban authorities vowed to end illegal drug production.