Poppy has been grown across a wide area of Charbanial in Banglabazar union of Munshiganj Sadar upazila, covering about three acres.

With no owner of the fields to be found, a mobile court seized poppy plants as evidence. The raid was led by Assistant Commissioner (Land) Sheikh Mezbah-ul-Saberin at midday on Sunday (8 March).

Sheikh Mezbah-ul-Saberin said that on receiving information they went to Charbanial and found poppy grown over a large area, but no owner of the fields was there. Someone had already destroyed the crop, which was no longer usable. They seized some plants as evidence.

He added that because the quantity exceeds five kilograms, the case is no longer within the mobile court's jurisdiction and the police will file a regular case. The seized plants will be sent to the agriculture department for testing.

Local sources said poppy is a narcotic plant. When the fruit ripens, deep cuts are made on it with a blade; after 5-6 hours sap oozes out and growers collect it, and it is sold as raw material for opium.

Other by-product biochemicals are made through various chemical processes. Besides heroin, it also yields morphine, which is used as medicine. The plant bears flowers of various colours, such as red, yellow and white; the Munshiganj plants had white flowers. Not every poppy flower, however, can be used to make narcotics.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.