Private businesses have been allowed to enter India’s highly controlled opium production and processing sector. What is the purpose of opium, and how is it cultivated and processed? How can the participation of private players help?
According to historical sources, India has been producing poppy from at least the 15th century. Private businesses have been allowed to enter India’s highly controlled opium production and processing sector. Bajaj Healthcare is the first firm to win contracts for making concentrated poppy straw, which is used to extract alkaloids, which are the active medicinal component in pain relievers and cough syrups.
According to historical sources, India has been producing poppy from at least the 15th century. When the Mughal Empire was in fall, the British East India Company gained a monopoly on poppy growing, and the entire trade was placed under government control by 1873.
Following India’s independence, the cultivation and trading of opium was transferred to the Indian government, with the activity governed by The Opium Act of 1857, The Opium Act of 1878, and The Dangerous Drugs Act of 1930. The cultivation and processing of poppy and opium are currently governed under the laws of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and Rules.
Processing opium in India
The production of opium poppy is carefully restricted in the nation due to the potential for illicit commerce and the risk of addiction, with crops allowed to be seeded only in tracts of land recognised by the central government in 22 districts in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
Every year, the government releases the licencing policy for opium production, detailing the minimum qualifying output, the maximum area that may be farmed by a single planter, and the maximum reward that growers can get for crop loss caused by natural causes.
“Opium poppy planting is carefully regulated; the government employs satellite photos to detect illegal growing.” When the crop is ready, they have a method for calculating the yield. The government then purchases the full supply and processes it in its own plants,” pharmaceutical expert C. M. Gulhati explained.
Gulhati claims that the government’s control measures limit pilferage, however it has not been totally eliminated. “A few years ago, it was reported that cows ate poppy plants in the middle of the night. Things like this will happen, but these restrictions limit opium pilferage,” he added, adding that practically all illicit opium in India comes from Afghanistan.
The country’s opium is being processed exclusively at the Government Opium and Alkaloid Factories in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, and Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh. Morphine, codeine, thebaine, and oxycodone are all manufactured. “There is no reason for the government not to incorporate commercial firms in the process if all the monitoring mechanisms are followed,” Gulhati added.
Use of opium
Opium is a natural chemical derived from poppy seeds, and its derivatives are mostly used to treat pain. “Opium poppy extracts, such as morphine, are strong medicines that are mostly recommended to cancer patients,” Gulhati explained. Codeine, an opium derivative, is useful in cough suppression.
It is illegally used for smoking, drinking, and even ingesting as tablets. Because of opium’s addictive characteristics, poppy growing is strictly restricted all over the world. Only 12 nations, including India, allow its authorised growth for therapeutic purposes.
The involvement of private players
Over the next five years, the private enterprise will process 6,000 MT of unopened poppy capsules and opium gum to manufacture active medicinal components.
The private sector’s involvement may increase domestic production of various alkaloids such as morphine and codeine, introduce new technology, and reduce imports. Despite being one of the few global farmers of poppy, India continues to import these active medicinal compounds as well as poppy seeds, which are widely used in the nation as a food item.