The driving force is the joint activity relating to opium production and trafficking by military authorities and local businessmen from Chin state and Sagain Division in Burma. This is said to compel hill farmers to engage in poppy cultivation. As a result, the farmers have begun to abandon their traditional hill farm cultivation.

Poppy cultivation is done mainly in Lamzang, Taingen, Lemthang, Muanluah, Hai Mual, Old Haimual, Bochung, Singpial and Tuisung village in Tedim Township, remote areas of Tongzang township, Falam Township in Chin state and Sakhan Kyi in Kalay town in Sagaing division, according to sources from Indo-burma border.

Farmers in Chin state are said to grow poppy plants in plastic bags hung on the trees in farmlands.

Between May and August 2006, the production of opium from 67 acres of poppy cultivation in Chin state touched around 7546.9 kilograms.

Most prisons across Chin state have people serving long term sentences for drug abuse and trafficking.

Observers said that forced labour, extortion by the military in Chin state have put local farmers in a difficult situation and does not give them enough time for hill farm cultivation. The farmers instead are paying attention to poppy cultivation.

"Year after year we see more drug trafficking across border areas. Most arrested drug traffickers are from Burma," said a staff member of anti-drug agency in Mizoram State, India.

According to the local media in India the issue of drug trafficking and border fencing along the Indo-Burma border will be included in the discussions between Burmese officials during the visit of India's Union Home secretary V K Duggal to Burma between February 13 to 17.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in its statement released last year said that opium cultivation in Burma has declined 34 percent to 21,500 hectares compared to 83 percent on 130,300 hectares in 1998. But Burma still remained the second largest opium producer in the world after Afghanistan.

The first attempts at poppy cultivation was said to have begun in the period of Ne Win, former Burmese military ruler. But the project failed due to the intervention of a Chin students group. - KNG