Biren defends his govt’s tenure anti-poppy campaign

Former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh justified on Friday the anti-poppy campaign which was launched during his government while reacting to a recent media report revealing widespread deforestation in the state.
Manipur lost 52,000 acres of forest from 2021 to 2025, driven by poppy cultivation, illegal logging, and climate change, a study by space analytics firm Suhora Technology reported in some media.
Using high-resolution satellite data and advanced geospatial intelligence, the study mapped critical shifts in land cover in Manipur, it said in the study titled ‘Manipur Deforestation: A Closer Look at Alarming Trends and Emerging Hope’. The Suhora study cited some reasons behind the loss of forest areas in the state bordering Myanmar. They include the proliferation of poppy cultivation, especially in remote hill regions, which has led to widespread forest clearing.
“Now let’s be serious—even national media has confirmed the deforestation through satellite imagery,” former chief minister N Biren Singh wrote in a post on his social media platform, while reacting to the media report. “Many people didn’t believe the state government’s claims. But the facts speak for themselves,” he further wrote while claiming that during the period from 2017 to 2025, his government had destroyed over 18,000 hectares of illegal poppy plantations and added that it is a massive effort to combat drug trafficking and prevent deforestation.
Singh then urged the public to review official data on poppy and cannabis destruction since 2017 and called for a united front in restoring the state’s forests.
“What we need now is mass afforestation. The time to act is now. Let’s join hands and restore our forests,” he wrote in the post.
An official data which the former chief minister shared with his post while expressing his strong concern, showed destruction of more than 18,212.458 acres of poppy and 30 acres of cannabis plantations across various districts between January 2017 and March 2025. During the period, atleast 90 persons engaged in the illegal poppy and cannabis cultivation were arrested. As per the data, Ukhrul district recorded the highest destruction of poppy fields with 4,593 acres. Ten persons were also arrested in connection with the cases registered against the illegal practice.
The second highest destruction of poppy fields was recorded in Kangpokpi where 3,249.4 acres of poppy fields were destroyed and 17 persons arrested in connection with the illegal practice.
In Tengnoupal district bordering Myanmar, a total of 2,590 acres of poppy fields were destroyed during the period under report with the arrest of eight persons.
Churachandpur district closely followed the Tengnoupal district with the destruction of 2,131.3 acres of poppy fields. Four persons were also arrested for the illicit practice in this district.
In other hill districts of Senapati, Chandel, Kamjong, Noney and Tamenglong, the poppy fields destroyed during the same period were recorded at 1014.6 acres with 24 arrests, 1,828.5 with five arrest, 519 acres with five arrests, 16.49 acres with two arrests and 16.49 acres with two arrest respectively.
Among the valley districts, the destruction of poppy fields was reported in Imphal East, Bishnupur and Kakching districts. These districts cover parts of hill areas where poppy and cannabis cultivation are reported.
In Imphal East, a total of 1,852.168 acres of poppy fields were destroyed with 13 arrests while the Bishnupur district recorded destruction of 285 acre of fields.
Kakching district recorded destruction of 39.5 acres of poppy fields with one arrest during the period from January 2017 to March 2025.
In a written reply to questions by Inner Manipur Congress MP Dr Angomcha Bimol Singh in the Lok Sabha in December 2024, Union minister for environment, forest and climate change Bhupender Yadav revealed that the total area under illegal opium poppy cultivation in 2023-24 in Manipur was 45.68 sqkm, or approximately 11,288 acres,
Kangpokpi district reported the largest area under illegal opium poppy cultivation in Manipur at 17.49 square kilometres (sqkm), or 4,322 acres during the same period (2023-24).
Senapati district reported the second-highest area under illegal opium poppy cultivation at 9.44 sqkm, or 2,332 acres while Ukhrul district reported the third-highest with 6.47 sqkm or 1,598 acres.
The other areas under illegal opium poppy cultivation in descending order are Churachandpur 6.02 sqkm (1,487 acres), Kamjong 4.21 sqkm (1,040 acres), Chandel 0.91 sqkm (224 acres), Tengnoupal 0.50 sqkm (123 acres), Noney 0.47 sqkm (116 acres), and Tamenglong 0.17 sqkm (42 acres).