Imphal: Security forces in Manipur destroyed approximately 110 acres of illegal poppy cultivation on hill slopes in three border districts, with the potential to yield opium worth an estimated Rs 3.3 crore, officials reported on Thursday.
This operation is part of an ongoing “War on Drugs” campaign by the Manipur government and security forces to combat widespread illegal poppy cultivation, which is prevalent in the state’s hilly regions.
Police reported that a combined team of security forces, the forest department, and the executive magistrate destroyed about 15 acres of poppy fields at Lungphu Hill Range, Phungyar police station, Kamjong district, which borders Myanmar to the southeast, on January 14, 2026.
Thirty acres of poppy fields were also decimated at Sadim Hills Range under Senapati police station, Senapati district, bordering Nagaland to the north, on January 13, 2026.
Police further reported that on the same day, 65 acres of poppy fields at Govok Hill Range under Chakpikarong police station in Chandel district, sharing a border with Myanmar to the south, were also destroyed.
Two temporary huts, along with poppy pods and seeds, were found and destroyed at the site. No arrests were made during the operations.
The reports stated that various cases have been registered at the relevant police stations for investigation, and efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the cultivators and landowners.
Additionally, an acre of fully grown poppy fields can yield an average of approximately 25 kg of raw opium in the legal Indian market, which fetches a price of around Rs 45,000 to Rs 87,500 at government-fixed rates.
The figure of Rs 30,000 per acre is a reasonable estimate of net profit for a farmer after costs, but the gross value is higher.