Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh): Opium-producing farmers from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan staged a rally in Neemuch on Friday, demanding amendments to the 2026-27 opium policy. Farmers sought an increase in the opium purchase price to Rs 1 lakh per kg, citing rising costs of fertilisers, pesticides, electricity, labour and agricultural equipment.
Farmers from Mandsaur, Neemuch, Pratapgarh and Chittorgarh joined the protest, which began at Ambedkar Circle and proceeded through Ambedkar Marg, LIC Square and Bhuteshwar Mahadev Temple before reaching the deputy narcotics commissioner's office.
Farmer leaders Shyamlal Jogchand and Rajkumar Ahir, Congress leader Rupal Sancheti and Meena Singh Chauhan led the rally. Farmers staged a sit-in before submitting a six-point memorandum addressed to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
They demanded that the prescribed morphine limit be raised to 3.7 and old incision leases of affected cultivators be restored. They said changes in the morphine limit and conversion of old leases to five-incision CPS leases had caused losses.
The memorandum sought relief for farmers cultivating under the CPS system and reconsideration of cases involving farmers with average poppy production above 90 kg. It also demanded opium leases for eligible cultivators denied them since 1997-98 and licences for new eligible farmers.
They also sought reconsideration of NDPS Act provisions concerning poppy husk, relief in related cases and restoration of old leases for farmers whose crops were damaged by natural calamities and hailstorms.
