One of the major election issues in this region is opium. Braving rains, thousands of opium farmers demonstrated outside the local offices of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to press for their demand for restoration of licenses to cultivate opium.

The NCB, headquartered in Gwalior, recently cancelled many licenses for production of opium in this opium producing belt comprising Kota, Baran, Jhalawar,Chittorgarh and Pratapgarh districts. The bureau felt felt that some farmers were under reporting yield and may have been smuggling out the unreported surplus.

According to opium producers Jugal Kishor and Mahendra Nagar more than 60% of the old licenses were not renewed. Rival politicians touring the countryside for farmers votes are faced with demands for restoration of licenses for production of opium. In Rajasthan, there are 17,000 licensees who can engage in opium cultivation. The NCB — the body that grants licenses — insists on licensees delivering minimum stipulated yield. While issuing licenses, the NCB has been working on the basis of a standard assumption: One hectare of land should yield 56 kgs of opium. The unit of measurement of land for opium fields is s ‘Ari’. One hundred Aris make an hectare.

The NCB is the sole authorized agency to purchase the opium produce. Farmers are paid anywhere between Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 depending upon the quality of the produce. Farmers are also required to deposit the entire produce with the Narcotics Control Bureau. Those who fail to do so are penalised by way of cancellation of their licenses. According to NCB officials, such stipulations are intended to ensure that opium is not smuggled.

NCB deputy commissioner G P Chandeliya says that the bureau purchases opium with “55 degree morphine consistency”. As he explains, the Bureau earlier on issued license for a maximum of 10 Aris to a farmer. The NCB, with a view to extend the area of cultivation under opium, revised the guidelines. Farmers who deliver more than the stipulated 56 kgs per hectare are granted licenses to cultivate a larger area.

Says Chandoliya: “As a reward to those who give better yields, we have permitted them to cultivate additional 30 Aris. Those farmers who had a good crop but sold or smuggled their produce lost their licenses. We are rewarding the honest and punishing the dishonest.”

Farmers say they could not meet the target — 56 kgs yield per hectare — as the crop was damaged by heavy rains. The NCB officials, not willing to take the claims of farmers on face value, would like to examine the whole situation.

Meanwhile, politicians seeking the support of the opium farmers, have no option but to give the farmers a patient hearing, and, adopt “politically correct” postures.