Civil society organisations (CSOs) in Manipur’s Kuki-Zo-majority Kangpokpi district have unanimously resolved to impose a complete ban on poppy cultivation starting next year.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the CSOs said the resolution — effective from January 2026 — was “taken in the larger public interest, keeping in view the social, environmental, economic, and moral consequences of poppy cultivation and reflects the collective will of the people.”
The poppy plant is the raw material for opium, a highly addictive narcotic with a lucrative illicit market. Manipur’s hill districts have long seen widespread poppy farming, especially in conflict-prone zones, fuelling both environmental degradation and narcotics-linked violence.
The decision carries weight amid the state government’s ongoing “War on Drugs” campaign, launched under former chief minister N. Biren Singh and now continuing under President’s rule. Authorities have repeatedly targeted illegal poppy fields, citing both deforestation and rising drug abuse.
Meitei civil groups have also pointed to poppy cultivation as a key source of tension that contributed to the ethnic unrest that erupted on May 3, 2023, between the Kuki-Zo communities of the hills and the Meiteis in the valley.
Between December 16 and 20 alone, security forces destroyed 601 acres of illegal poppy fields. Over the past eight years, more than 18,200 acres of such cultivation have been cleared and over 3,200 people arrested in narcotics-related cases across the state.
To ensure the new resolution is more than symbolic, Kangpokpi’s CSOs conducted a series of consultative meetings involving village chiefs and traditional authorities. These were held on December 10, 16, and 19, following the initial resolution adopted on December 5.
Groups such as the Sadar Hills Chiefs’ Association (SAHILCA), Kuki Inpi Sadar Hills, student and youth organisations, and women’s groups participated. Together, they pledged to “completely discontinue” poppy cultivation in their jurisdictions from 2026 onwards.
The CSOs warned that “any village chief or authority found violating or failing to comply with the resolutions shall face strict and decisive action, as resolved collectively by the civil society.”
The statement described the joint declaration as a “firm and united stand by the people of Kangpokpi to safeguard their land, future generations, and social harmony.”
On December 3, former chief minister Biren Singh posted a video on X showing poppy fields at Kolten and Selsi Hill Ranges under T. Waichong sub-division of Kangpokpi. “All our forests have been destroyed,” he said. “Unless we take concrete action, the state will face an existential crisis.”