Opium Policy Year 2025-26 released by Government of India

*Chittorgarh MP CP Joshi expressed gratitude to Modi government*

Neeti Gopendra Bhatt

New Delhi . This time thousands of farmers will join the Opium Policy issued by the Government of India for the year 2025-26. Keeping in mind the suggestions given by the farmers in this policy, the Central Government has once again released the farmer-friendly Opium Policy.

Chittorgarh MP CP Joshi welcomed the Opium Policy issued for the year 2025-26 and expressed his reaction saying that the Modi government always works positively for the farmers. This Opium Policy is farmer-friendly. Due to this policy, thousands of new farmers will get the opportunity to farm. MP CP Joshi thanked Modi government for this historic policy. Joshi expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary. He said that existing licensees will not be required to submit such papers, the information of which is already with the Narcotics Department. Information will be provided about any change from the previous year.

*Opium threshing through lacing method*

All those opium license holder farmers whose crop has an average amount of morphine of 4.2 per kilogram or more in the last year 2024-25 will get the license to obtain opium gum (threshing) through lacing method in the new opium policy. Farmers who cultivated opium for poppy straw production during the crop year 2024-25, who presented poppy straw at the weighing center and whose average yield was 900 kg per hectare or more, will also get the license to obtain opium gum (threshing). In this policy, farmers who have harvested the crop under the supervision of the Narcotics Department during the crop years 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25, but the crop was not harvested in the year 2021-22, will also be eligible. Such farmers were eligible for a license for the crop year 2024-25, but due to some reason they have not obtained the license or who did not cultivate opium for any reason after obtaining the license. Also, such farmers who were nominated by the deceased eligible farmer for the crop year 2024-25.

All the eligible cultivators under the license for obtaining opium gum (Luwai Chirai) will be issued a license of 0.10 hectare in only one plot. If the farmer wishes, he can lease the land of others to complete the licensed area.


*CPS method*

Along with this, notification has also been issued for CPS method. In CPS method in which juice is not extracted through lancing, those farmers will also be eligible for license. Those who have cultivated through CPS method during the crop year 2024-25 and have presented a yield of 800 kg or more of poppy straw per hectare at the weighing center. The farmers who have presented an average yield of less than 800 kg of poppy straw per hectare during the year 2024-25 have been held from opium poppy cultivation during the crop year 2025-26. However, they will continue to hold the license for the next crop year and will be eligible for cultivation subject to the conditions imposed by the policy of that year.

Those farmers whose licenses were put on hold due to less than 675 kg of poppy husk yield per hectare during the crop year 2023-24 have also been made eligible this year. Such farmers who cultivated through Chira method in the crop year 2024-25 and provided an average of more than 3 kg and less than 4.2 kg of opium crop per hectare will be eligible for CPS method this year.

Such farmers who gave 900 kg or more of poppy husk per hectare during 2024-25, but if they do not choose Chira method for the crop year 2025-26 and voluntarily want to cultivate in CPS method, they will also be eligible. Those farmers who were eligible for license for the crop year 2024-25, but could not obtain the license for any reason or who did not actually cultivate opium after obtaining the license. Farmers who were licensed anytime since the crop year 1995-96, but for some reason the license was not issued to them. They will be given license this year under the CPS method.

Farmers whose appeal against the denial of license was allowed after the last date of disposal in the year 2024-25. Such farmers were eligible for license for the crop year 2024-25, but for some reason they have not obtained the license or who did not cultivate opium for any reason after obtaining the license.

Farmers who were nominated by the deceased eligible farmer for the crop year 2023-24.

In the CPS method also, all eligible farmers will be issued a license of 0.05 hectare on only one plot. If the cultivator wishes, he can lease the land of others to complete the licensed area. Farmers who have become eligible for farming under the CPS method will be issued licenses for the next 5 years, which will be effective from the crop year 2025-26 to the crop year 2029-30. The license period issued for five years will remain effective until the farmer is found involved in illegal activities or a charge sheet has not been filed under the NDPS Act. Or has not violated the departmental guidelines, or has not voluntarily surrendered his license before the District Opium Officer.

The names of eligible cultivators will be uploaded on the CBN website and CBN online portal and they will be informed on the mobile number through relevant messages, mail etc. By doing this, farmers will be able to see their name in the eligibility list within some time of the release of the policy.

Joshi said that this step of the Central Government will simplify and ease the opium license distribution process. This will also bring transparency. Now farmers will be able to obtain license by filling online form and list of eligible farmers will also be uploaded on the website.