Hazaribagh, April 19: Some villagers in Chatra’s Giddhore and Pathalgaddha are a disappointed lot. This year, their produce fetched only half the price it was sold for last year because of an increase in supply.

The produce in question is opium, which the villagers process from the poppy they cultivate illegally in several hectares in Chatra.

The rich returns of the farming has encouraged other villagers in Chatra and neighbouring Hazaribagh also to start the cultivation, the buyers reportedly told the farmers.

The villagers in Chatra said 1 kg of opium had fetched between Rs 20,000 and Rs 25,000 last year. But this year, they could get only Rs 10,000 per kg.

Villagers in Chatra started cultivating poppy, instead of the usual crop, in 2005. The “unexpected” returns brought prosperity to the areas concerned and the villagers started purchasing expensive cars, bikes and other modern gadgets, said sources.

Now, in certain areas of Hazaribagh, the sources said, an organised gang has been encouraging villagers to cultivate only poppy. The farmers are given tips and fed stories of the prosperity that has stuck the Chatra villagers. As a result, poppy productivity in the area has increased exponentially.

Apart from rural areas, sources said, poppy was being cultivated in Hazaribagh town, Katkamsandi, Chouparan, Barkagaon and Keredari. More than 1,000 acres are being used for this purpose, they added.

When a government team was sent to inspect, the villagers had attacked them.

That the cultivation has increased can be understood by reading an anonymous letter reportedly written by a 70-year-old man and addressed to superintendent of police Praveen Kumar Singh.

The resident of Champanagar in Nawadih area of Ichaak asks Singh to take stern action to save the villages from “the opium curse”. Poppy plants can be spotted in all the fields of the village, he said.

“Save us sir, otherwise this generation will get trapped in this wrong business. I don’t understand why times have changed so much that no one has the time to listen to the genuine advice of elderly people,” the letter stated.

“Champanagar was known for its Ma Champeshwari temple. Residents used to grow flowers to cater to the large numbers of devotees. But now the flower plants are being replaced by poppy.”

Police officers admitted that they are aware of poppy cultivation and action was taken against illegal opium producers. Singh had instructed them to destroy poppy plant as soon as they come across one, they added.