Poppy cultivation increases 12% in Mexican fields

Despite the eradication campaigns by the Mexican government, the opium gum market persists and continues to be a very profitable activity.

Report Mexico, Monitoring of Illicit Poppy Plantations 2019-2020 of the UN

Poppy cultivation and planting have increased by at least 12% in Mexican territory, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) announced in its most recent monitoring of illicit plantations in Mexico.

When announcing the fifth report of the MEXK54 Project, called: “Mexico, Monitoring of Illicit Poppy Plantations 2019-2020”, UNODC detailed that between July 2019 and June 2020, poppy cultivation in our country was estimated at about 24,100 hectares, which means an increase of 12% compared to the same period of 2018-2019, when the poppy cultivated area was estimated at 21,500 hectares.

According to the analysis carried out with the support of the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of the Navy – Navy of Mexico and the Attorney General of the Republic, with the accompaniment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the technical cooperation of UNODC, the planting of poppy It is maintained mainly in the mountainous region of the Sierra Madre Occidental, called the “Golden Triangle” where the states of Sinaloa, Chihuahua and Durango converge.

However, large concentrations of crops were also identified in the north of the state of Nayarit, as well as in the mountainous region of the Sierra Madre del Sur encompassing the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca. While it was identified that the main planting areas were located in remote or difficult-to-access areas.

“Market persists”

The data obtained through the interpretation of satellite images complemented with field verifications: field visits and aerial photography, show that “despite the eradication campaigns by the Mexican government, the opium gum market persists and continues to be a very profitable activity; opium gum can be stored for long periods of time allowing it to be marketed when conditions are optimal for the farmer”.

Meanwhile, the report emphasizes that, during the field work, it was observed that the peasants use fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, which indicates a greater investment in the technification of the field that allows them to obtain a higher yield of opium gum per hectare planted. .

Destruction of laboratories and seizures

Regarding the destruction of clandestine laboratories for the production of heroin, the figures point to a decrease of 33%, however, the eradication of those used to manufacture methamphetamines increased by 28 percent.

Regarding seizures derived from poppy: opium gum, morphine, liquid and solid heroin presented a decrease of 76%, 100%, 100% and 24%, respectively, while for opium seed it increased by 54%. compared to the previous year.

And it is that the insured kilos of opium gum went from 1,649.4 in 2014 to 87.2 in 2020.

“Although this text does not intend to delve into the causes of the apparent reduction in the destruction of poppy plantations, it is important to consider the role that new psychoactive substances have played in criminal markets. Since they usually involve a higher profit margin compared to other substances such as opioids, they are more attractive to criminal organizations ”, the report states.

Regarding the destruction at the municipal level, it was also identified that the distribution of destroyed hectares is, as in the case of the entities, concentrated in the localities located mainly in Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, Nayarit and Guerrero.

Regarding the number of destruction events during the 2014-2020 period, it was 896,550, registering its maximum in 2018 with a total of 206,594 events and its minimum in 2014 with 31,751; while it was estimated that an average of 0.2 hectare of poppy was involved in each event.

maritza.perez@eleconomista.mx