Coffee, tealeaf, avocado grown in Shan State as poppy substituted crops
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Hsu/ Saw (NP News) – Oct 25
As a commemorative event to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of United Nations Guiding Principles on Alternative Development, the opium substitute crops, coffee, tealeaves and avocados are said to have been being cultivated.
The event was conducted in a hybrid format. Min Thein, the Permanent Representative of Myanmar to the United Nations (Vienna), participated in the occasion through an online platform on the 23rd of October.
He mentioned that opium substitute crops, coffee, tealeaves, and avocados are being cultivated in Shan State, Myanmar, in accordance with the guiding principles of the UNODC.
Those alternative crops were exported to European countries. Furthermore, efforts are underway to rehabilitate the land and natural environment previously impacted by poppy cultivation.
He also shared video clips during the meeting, illustrating the socio-economic benefits derived from the coffee plantation as a substitute for poppy cultivation.
Myanmar's poppy substitute alternative development has received support from Thailand, Japan, and Finland.