India and U. S. to cooperate on licit opium poppy crop

New Delhi
June 8, 2000

The US and India signed an agreement to jointly survey and study samples of the country's licit opium poppy crop. The Mr. E. Ashley Wills, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy, New Delhi and Dr. G.C. Srivastava, Additional Secretary, Department of Revenue, Government of India signed the agreement. This collaborative project seeks to produce reliable data on the yields of opium gum from India's poppy cultivation, which would help the Government to maintain tight control over its licit opium production to prevent diversion and ensure adequate supply to meet the international medical and scientific needs.

The project will help bolster the Government of India's efforts by providing more accurate estimate of how much opium gum can be produced from a hectare of India's legal opium poppy cultivation. This will be done through a scientific methodology developed and implemented jointly by researchers and statisticians from both countries.

The survey would take place during opium poppy season 2000-2001 which generally starts in October, and would cover all three growing areas in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Samples from various licit opium fields would be collected and analyzed by U.S. and Indian scientists.