Opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar has hit a 10-year peak, with the crop area increasing in all growing regions in the war-scarred country, the United Nations says.

In its latest Myanmar opium survey, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) found that poppy cultivation increased by 17 percent compared with the previous year, a jump from 45,200 hectares (about 111,700 acres) to 53,100 hectares (about 131,200 acres) of land growing the illicit crop.

The growth “reaffirms Myanmar’s role as the world’s known main source of illicit opium, following the continued decline of cultivation in Afghanistan “, the UNODC said on Wednesday.

“This major expansion in cultivation shows the extent to which the opium economy has re-established itself over the past years – and points to potential furthe

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