In the crop year 2023-24, a license for opium cultivation will be provided to 27,000 farmers in three states

In the crop year 2023-24, it is expected that licenses for opium cultivation will be issued to approximately 27,000 new farmers in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The announcement has been made as part of the annual licensing policy for opium poppy cultivation for the crop year 2023-24.

The Finance Ministry stated that they hope to issue licenses to around 1.12 lakh farmers in these three states, including an additional 27,000 farmers in addition to those who received licenses in the previous crop year. This marks a significant increase compared to the average number of farmers who received licenses during the five-year period ending in the fiscal year 2014-15, which is nearly 2.5 times higher.
This initiative aims to ensure that production meets domestic demand as well as the needs of the Indian export industry. Approximately 54,500 opium farmers from Madhya Pradesh, 47,000 from Rajasthan, and 10,500 from Uttar Pradesh will be eligible to obtain licenses.

The Ministry stated, "The central government is continuously working to enhance demand and processing capacity within the country. With the growth in demand and processing capacity, it is expected that the number of farmers obtaining licenses for opium poppy cultivation will increase to 1.45 lakh in the next three years.