SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being | SDG 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
Institutions: Ministry of Finance
The Union Government has announced the annual licensing policy for opium poppy cultivation for crop year 2025-26 (1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026) in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Nearly 1.21 lakh farmers are now eligible to receive cultivation licenses, marking a 23.5 percent increase over the previous year, with about 15,000 additional farmers included. The policy also introduces performance incentives: farmers who achieved at least 900 kg/hectare yield of unmilled poppy straw may opt to switch to traditional opium gum cultivation. Conversely, licenses will be suspended for CPS (Cultivation of Poppy Straw) farmers who did not meet the Minimum Qualifying Yield of 800 kg/hectare in 2024-25. Further, the alkaloid factory at Neemuch has obtained WHO GMP certification, reinforcing efforts to boost self-reliance in regulated alkaloid production and support pharmaceutical API/formulation units. This decision balances rural livelihoods with narcotics regulation, strengthens oversight under the NDPS framework, and enhances Indiaβs capacity to supply essential alkaloids for the pharmaceutical sector.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can the government ensure that increased licensing and stricter yield benchmarks both safeguard small farmersβ incomes and maintain strict controls against narcotics diversion?
Follow the full news here: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2165939