The Ministry of Finance on October 11, 2021 has issued the general conditions for grant of license for cultivation of opium poppy on account of the Central Government during the Opium Crop Year Commencing on October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022.
• The Opium poppy cultivation may be licensed in any tract as may be notified in this behalf by the Central Government.
• In Clauses 3 and 7 of this notification, the following shall be eligible for a license to cultivate opium poppy:
(i) Cultivators who had cultivated opium poppy during the crop year 2020-21 and tendered an average yield of Morphine (MQY-M) not less than 4.2 kg per hectare.
(ii) Cultivators who ploughed back their entire poppy crop cultivated during the crop year, 2018-19,2019-20 & 2020-21.
(iii) Cultivators whose appeal against refusal of License has been allowed after the last date of settlement in the crop year 202-21.
(iv) Cultivator who is nominated by deceased eligible cultivator in column No. 11 in Form No. 1 (see rule 7) for the crop year 2020-21.
(v) The cultivators who get their opium poppy crop ploughed back more than 50% of total of areas cultivated during the crop years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 shall not be eligible for a license to cultivate opium poppy for crop year 2021-22.
• The following shall be eligible for a license to cultivate opium poppy for production of Poppy Straw from which no juice is extracted through lancing:
• Conditions of License
No cultivator shall be granted license unless satisfies: -
i) They should not during actual cultivation, exceed the area licensed for poppy cultivation during the crop year 2020-21 beyond the 5% ‘Condonable Limit’ allowed in the licensing policy.
ii) They should not at any time resort to illicit cultivation of opium poppy and was not charged in any competent court for any offence under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and the Rules
iii) They should not during the crop year 2002-21 violate any departmental instructions issued by the Central Bureau of Narcotics/ Narcotics Commissioner to the cultivators.
• A minimum qualifying yield (MQY –M) of 5.9 Kg Morphine/ Hectare of Morphine in opium tendered should be achieved during the crop year 2021-22 to become eligible for a license to cultivate opium poppy in the following year i.e. 2022-23.
• Morphine content of opium tendered during 2021-22 may become the basis for payment for the crop year 2021-22.
• Cultivators who had fully ploughed back their entire poppy during crop year 2018-19, 2019- 20 and 2020-21 would not be entitled for license in the crop year 2022-23.
• The cultivators who get their opium poppy crop ploughed back more than 50% of total of areas cultivated during the crop years 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 may not be eligible for a license to cultivate opium poppy in the following year i.e., 2022-23.
• If the area cultivated is up to 5% in excess of the licensed area, such excess cultivation maybe condoned.
[Notification No- G.S.R. 727(E)]
