Myanmar became the world's biggest producer of opium in 2023, overtaking Afghanistan after the Taliban government's crackdown on the trade, according to a United Nations report released on Tuesday.
Myanmar produced an estimated 1,080 metric tons of opium — essential for producing heroin — this year, according to the latest report by the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The figures come after opium production in Afghanistan slumped an estimated 95% to around 330 metric tons following the Taliban's ban on poppy cultivation in April last year, according to UNODC.