Why do farmers in Myanmar and Afghanistan grow opium?
Myanmar recently surpassed Afghanistan as the world鈥檚 top producer.
Myanmar is now the world's largest producer of opium, overtaking Afghanistan. That鈥檚 after the Taliban banned the cultivation of opium poppies, which can be used to make heroin.
Growing opium is illegal in both counties, but that isn鈥檛 stopping all farmers from growing the crop.
Yogita Limaye, the 麻豆社鈥檚 South Asia and Afghanistan correspondent, explains how the ban has impacted farmers who previously depended on opium to survive. And Soe Win Than, editor of the 麻豆社 Burmese Service, tells us how corruption and political instability in Myanmar have contributed to the growth in opium production.
Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: William Lee Adams, Baldeep Chahal, Benita Barden
Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks
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- Wed 20 Dec 2023 18:50GMT麻豆社 World Service News Internet
- Thu 21 Dec 2023 03:50GMT麻豆社 World Service East and Southern Africa, South Asia, West and Central Africa & East Asia only
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