• Opium production in India has a long history, dating back centuries. India is one of the few countries licensed to produce opium for pharmaceutical use. The government oversees opium cultivation in certain regions under strict regulations to prevent illegal trade and misuse.
• The opium poppy is grown primarily in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. The cultivation process involves licensed farmers who grow poppy plants under the supervision of the Central Bureau of Narcotics (CBN).
• Once the opium is harvested, it is processed to extract alkaloids like morphine and codeine, which are used in the pharmaceutical industry to manufacture painkillers and other medications.
• India's opium production is strictly regulated to ensure it's used for medicinal purposes and not diverted to illegal drug markets. The country complies with international drug control treaties and works with organizations like the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to monitor and regulate opium cultivation and production.

2. History of Opium Production in India

• The government's control over opium was an inheritance from earlier times. When the East India Company took charge, they initially entrusted poppy cultivation to contractors. However, this arrangement resulted in a decline in both the quality of the drug and the profits.
• Consequently, in 1797, management shifted to a covenanted officer, establishing the Benares Agency under the supervision of the Commercial Resident, known as the Opium Agent.
• Opium gathered from cultivators was sent to government factories for processing, packing, and subsequently dispatched to Kolkata (Calcutta). These opium chests were auctioned there, and the revenue generated after deducting the drug's cost and the Opium Department's expenses represented the opium revenue.
• The Ghazipur Factory, spanning approximately 45 acres, sits on the Ganges' high bank, positioned between the city and the Civil Station. Initially, it occupied an enclosure on the city's eastern side, later repurposed as a charitable dispensary and eventually sold off.
• The Factory then found a home in a building within the district jail. Its primary function involved drying opium for trade and export.
• In 1886, the manufacture of morphine and codeine in limited quantities commenced, primarily derived from adulterated opium and its washings. Concurrently, another Factory emerged in Patna, operating under the Bihar Opium Agency
• The current location was chosen in 1820 due to the need for larger premises to accommodate increased output and expanded Agency operations.
• The Factory encompasses six separate areas: the Superintendent's house by the river, quarters for the Factory Engineer and an Assistant in the northwest, guard lines to the north along the road leading to the city, and a sizable compound housing the Superintendent's office, Dispensary, Fire Brigade quarters, and an Institute for the numerous assistants employed. However, many of these structures have undergone changes over time. The main Factory buildings consist of inner and outer enclosures.
• Due to reduced poppy cultivation resulting from limitations on opium exports to China, the Bihar and Benares Opium Agencies merged in November 1910 under a single Agent headquartered in Ghazipur. The administrative control of the Opium Department shifted from the Bengal Government to the Government of the United Provinces.
• However, the storage of opium in Kolkata (Calcutta), monthly sales, and the supply of excise opium to Assam, Burma, and Calcutta remained under the purview of the Revenue authorities in Bengal.
• The Opium Act, XIII of 1857, was amended in January 1911 to implement these changes. As opium exports to China gradually decreased, the Government of India sanctioned the discontinuation of poppy cultivation in Bihar and the closure of the Opium Factory in Patna by December 31, 1911.
• During World War II, the demand for opium alkaloids prompted the government to establish an indigenous alkaloid plant in Ghazipur in 1942 and an Opium Factory in Neemuch in 1943, supervised by the Chemical Staff in the Factory.
• However, the production of alkaloids couldn't meet the increasing demands of the domestic pharmaceutical industry and exports. Consequently, a new alkaloid plant was set up in Neemuch in 1976