The Seventh Opium Yield Survey
Conducted Jointly by
Myanmar and the United States of America
as Part of the
Program for Cooperation in the Eradication of Narcotic Drugs
2 March 2001
A joint team of experts of
the Governments of the Union of Myanmar and the United States of America, as
part of the Program for Cooperation in the Eradication of Narcotic Drugs,
traveled by helicopter to illicitly cultivated opium fields in the remote and
inaccessible regions of eastern, southern and northern Shan State. Members of
the joint team then collected opium poppy samples and conducted an opium yield
survey. They also interviewed opium- growing peasants of the region, and in
northern Shan State held discussions regarding the progress of opium crop
substitution programs with responsible officials.
The Myanmar team taking part in this program was headed by Colonel Kyaw
Thein, member of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCADC) and Head
of Department of the Office of Strategic Studies with members of the CCDAC and
officials of the Department of Agriculture. Mr. Stanley Hilliard led the
American team and was accompanied by officials of the American embassy, the DEA,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Criminal Narcotics Center (CNC).
The joint Myanmar-U.S. team left Yangon by a Myanmar Air Force plane on 2
March and on arrival at Kyaintong airport transferred to a waiting helicopter to
continue their journey, and arrived in Mong Pauk of the ‘Wa’ region in eastern
Shan State the same morning. The team then visited illicit opium fields in Mong
Pauk Township and collected samples of opium pods. In the afternoon they visited
the Alternative Development Project Office of the United Nations International
Drug Control Programme to meet with Chief Technical Advisor Mr. Xavier Bouan and
Mong Pauk Distict Local Administrative Office U Yar Gu and held extensive
discussions on progress made in the ‘Wa’ Region Alternative Development Program,
and the projects so far drawn up and implemented by the ‘Wa’ nationals to
realize the target of establishing an Opium Free Zone by the year 2005. The team
then departed Mong Pauk and arrived back in Kyaingtong in the evening.
On 3 March the joint team left for Mongshu Township in Eastern Shan State
in the morning. There they visited illicit opium fields between the villages of
Nampat and Namlat, to collect samples of opium pods and also interviewed opium
peasants. They left the area in the afternoon and arrived in Lashio in the
evening.
The next morning on 4 March, the Myanmar-American team left for the
Naunglaing region of Tanyang Township in northern Shan State. They then
proceeded to illicit opium fields in the vicinity of the villages of Mecheynu,
Mannaung, Manpein and Honar where they collected opium pod samples and held
interviews with the native opium peasants in the area. They arrived back in
Lashio in the afternoon. Later the same evening they met and held discussions
with members of the Lashio Police Force, responsible officials of the Health
Department, Department of Agriculture and Department of Livestock Breeding of
the Shan State, as well as with Buckwheat experts of the Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA). The discussions centered on progress made in
alternative crop and buckwheat cultivation; the situation regarding measures for
eradication of opium cultivation; narcotic drug interdiction, and rehabilitation
and education programs for drug addicts within the Kokang region.
On the morning of 5 March the joint Myanmar-U.S. team left for Panlong
Village of Hopan Township in northern Shan State and visited illicit opium
fields in the areas around Ah Hopa, Sipar Kyaing and Panlong villages where they
collected samples of opium pods, leaves, seeds and soil. They also interviewed
the native opium peasants after which they returned to Lashio the same
afternoon. On 6 March the joint team left Lashio by air for Yangon.
Myanmar and the United States of America, have since 1993, jointly
conducted such opium yield surveys annually, and since 1997 there has been a
significant and continuous decline in the acreage of opium being cultivated as
shown in the report issued by the United States and in the report of Base Line
Data collected annually by Myanmar. The fact that there was less rain during the
opium cultivation season this year, which has yielded a poor harvest, combined
with efforts made by regional authorities to educate and assist the opium
peasants to give up, and therefore had resulted in lessening opium cultivation
year by year, and the systematic program of destroying illicit opium fields, it
is certain that the opium production for this year 2001, will definitely be less
than previously. The Government of the Union of Myanmar has been implementing a
program for the total eradication of opium cultivation in the country within 15
years, since the year 1999-2000, and is now continuing all efforts to realize
this goal, to which it is firmly committed.
The joint Myanmar-U.S. Opium Yield Survey carried out this year is the
seventh of its kind. According to information received, it is most likely that
the United States Government will continue cooperation with Myanmar towards the
eradication of opium cultivation in the country on the basis of estimates from
data obtained in the present survey.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
__________________________________________