Irrawaddy-Dec 4
Farmers in southern Sagaing Region are increasingly abandoning traditional crops in favor of cannabis, lured by soaring profits amid deepening conflict and economic collapse. Several villages in Ayadaw Township and its border with Myinmu—once known for rice, beans, betel nut, and cotton—have shifted to growing hemp since 2022-23. Locals say the move was driven by rising costs and pest infestations in betel nut plantations.
“Planting 1,000 betel trees costs around 3 million kyats but the market price is only 20,000 kyats per viss. By contrast, cannabis costs just 3,000-3,500 kyats per plant and a viss of dried leaves and buds can fetch up to 800,000 kyats,” one Myinmu farmer told The Irrawaddy. One viss equals roughly 1.6 kg. Residents estimate at least five acres of cannabis are now grown in each village, with six neighboring villages accounting for more than 30 acres. While some farmers conceal their crops inside fields or along fences, others plant them openly by roadsides. Locals claim that local defense, administration and law enforcement units help distribute cannabis seeds. Weak rule of law and overlapping jurisdictions have left space for cannabis cultivation to flourish. A member of a local defense force said eradication efforts had largely failed. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Myanmar’s opium poppy cultivation hit a decade-long high of 53,000 hectares in 2025. The country overtook Afghanistan as the world’s top producer after the Taliban government’s crackdown in 2022. UNODC experts warn that Myanmar-origin heroin is starting to appear in Western markets, citing a haul totaling 60 kilos seized from passengers flying from Thailand to Europe in 2024 and early 2025. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/cannabis-takes-root-in-sagaing-as-myanmars-post-coup-drug-boom-expands.html
