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| Poppy cultivation in Kashmir on rise despite police operations | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Jammu, July 10 : Despite repeated operations carried out by the security forces for destroying poppy crops the cultivation production of charas in various parts of the Kashmir valley, especially in south Kashmir, are on the increase.
Official sources said that last year poppy crops grown on 200 kanals of land in the districts of Pulwama, Anantnag and Kulgam were destroyed. A senior police officer said that poppy crops worth about Rs.50 million was destroyed.
He said that even after the police threatened farmers, growing poppy, that their agricultural fields would be occupied for setting up camps for the security forces, farmers remained adamant.
Experts in the Department of Agriculture said that since the farmers realised that poppy cultivation yielded 60 to 70 per cent more revenue than cultivation of rice and wheat they showed keen interest in this illegal farming.
Explaining the modus operandi behind cultivation and sale of poppy these experts said that poppy cultivation starts in May and the crops are ready by September.
After harvesting the farmers convert the flowers into husk manually as well as by machines.
The poppy husk is later sent to different states where it is further processed and sold to drug cartels.
They said that in various areas farmers used irrigated land for charas cultivation in order to ensure better yield. These experts said that on a number of occasions irrigation facilities to those farmers who carried out poppy cultivation are suspended. Still it had no bearing poppy cultivation and contraband trade.
Another police officer, who has been on duty in south Kashmir for over two years said that separatists and those guiding the so call jehad had never directed farmers to abandon poppy cultivation which indicated that they too were beneficiaries as was the case in Afghanistan.
But with increase in poppy cultivation the incidence of drug addiction in the Kashmir valley too has registered an upward rise.
Reports said that since there are two months left for poppy crops to be ready for harvesting the Government has issued instructions to the police to constitute teams for launching destroy poppy operation on a massive scale.(KIP)
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