Opium poppy farmers seek help to end dependence
It is harvest time in the shadow of mist-covered mountains in southern Shan State – not for the rice or pulses growing elsewhere, but in the fields that will supply heroin to voracious markets, in Myanmar and across international borders.
Down in the valleys and on mountain slopes in Hpekon township, the red, pink and white opium poppy flowers are still blooming, while others are being scraped of their valuable resin. Villagers have cultivated opium there for years in the region’s renowned Golden Triangle.
