Manipur’s Opium economy : A test of duty and conscience

Chongboi Haokip, MCIHort
“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10, NIV)
Many may wonder if I am soft with those involved in illegal poppy cultivation–not at all. In fact, I want enforcement units to be stricter and more effective all year round.
Ignorance does not excuse wrongdoing. Some offenders deserve a final warning; others deserve heavy penalties. Law enforcement must act with greater integrity and strength.
Many would agree that the illegal poppy fields across Manipur’s remote hills are more than an agricultural issue. Unfortunate- ly, they reveal a moral crisis that tests duty, gover- nance, and the community’s conscience. The enforcement units are working hard. As per the MoEFCC report, dated 16 Dec 2024, between 2017 and 2023, security forces destroyed 77.44 square kilometres of illegal poppy fields and arrested 2,943 offenders. Even though the opium trade endures, there is significant progress.
Scripture warns that ‘the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil’ and nowhere is this truth more evident than in Manipur’s blood opium economy. Yet there is hope alongside warning ‘The one who does what is right is righteous’ (1 John 3:7). This is not abstract spiritual advice. It is a call to act. Righteousness is proven through deeds, not words, through real justice, not symbolic gestures. The question before Manipur is whether it has the moral courage to choose true righteousness over convenient appearances.
The Self-Perpetuating Engine of Violence
Understanding this crisis requires recognising the devastatingly efficient me-chanism that sustains it and how deeply it fuels the cycle of violence (various types) tearing Manipur apart. Impoverished farmers, crushed by debt or coerced by drug financiers, plant poppies across inaccessible terrain. Processors convert raw opium into heroin.
Sophisticated trafficking networks move product through established cross-border routes.
It creates a vicious cycle where violence begets violence. Poverty drives culti- vation. Cultivation generates massive profits. The resulting instability isn’t an unfortunate byproduct; it’s a deliberate feature. Sadly, communal divisions fracture enforcement coordination and prevent unified action. The chaos serves the culprits well while innocent civilians pay with their lives and livelihoods. Greed has closed their eyes to the destruction they cause.
Enforcement Units– Why Must We Strengthen Them ?
Examining Manipur’s enforcement patterns reveals something profound. Yes, security forces conduct highly publicised raids, arrests are made, and suspects are paraded before cameras. Press releases celebrate each operation’s apparent success. The numbers appear impressive-hectares eradicated, cases registered, and suspects detained.
In some cases, sadly, enforcement operations often serve as a public spectacle rather than a real disruption. Crops may be destroyed only after profits are secured, leaving drug net- works untouched. Financiers keep their money safely, processing and trafficking continue, and the trade’s profits may even fund violence (various types).
Corruption’s Poisonous Shield
The love of money has corrupted institutions meant to uphold justice and protect peace. When enforcers turn into offenders, public trust collapses. The opium economy twists institutions, turning protectors into predators and destroying stability (possibly), as violence is likely to be associated with drug activities. On the other hand, it is encouraging to see honest enforcers still fight with integrity, but corrupt colleagues and flawed strategy weaken their efforts. Targeting poor farmers while ignoring financiers sustains both the drug trade and the violence it could have funded.
The Path to Peace : Dismantling the Economic Engine of Violence
Lasting peace in Manipur is impossible if the opium economy happens to fund violence. In that case, real change means cutting the financial lifelines of violence through early crop destruction, prosecution of finan- ciers, and disruption of trafficking routes. True justice lies in dismantling the economy that sustains violence.
First, establish permanent suppression units stationed continuously in poppy- growing districts - not seasonal task forces that arrive with publicity and depart predictably. The blood economy thrives on enforcement predictability that allows planning around raids. Continuous presence eliminates that advantage, disrupts operational planning, and raises costs until the business becomes economically unsustainable.
Second, implement seed-stage intervention by destroying fields before latex flows, before harvest, and before revenue reaches further networks. Attack crops early, strangling cash flow at its source before money enters the system to fund violence and corruption.
Third, enforce rigorously neutral policing that prosecutes offenders from all communities equally, regardless of ethnicity, as illegal poppy chain has no boundaries.
Fourth, target financial networks aggressively. Trace money flows, prosecute financiers and traffickers-not just coerced farmers at the bottom. Strike at the love of money itself by making its pursuit unprofitable and dangerous. Farmers are often economic hostages, cultivating under threat or crushing debt.
Fifth, it is essential to have a holistic view. Lasting peace needs more than enforcement. It needs real economic options. Farming communities require access to markets where making a livelihood is realistic, credit, training, and infrastructure.
In reality, when families earn through honest work, they regain their dignity, and the opium trade loses control. Economic development is not charity but a strategic step to end the cycle of poverty, violence, and unlawful poppy cultivation.
Finally, mandate complete transparency by publishing arrests and convictions, and cut off the money chain, which is encouraging, as we can see from published reports. When people see balanced enforcement backed by concrete data, propaganda loses its power, and trust begins to rebuild. Transparency itself becomes an act of righ- teousness, proving through evidence that justice is real, not theatrical.
The Choice Between Violence and Peace
Manipur faces a binary choice - One path continues superficial enforcement, while protecting criminal networks ensures the drug trade and its violence endure. This path leads to unending conflict where the illegal poppy economy overpowers governance, and greed defeats peace and justice.
Well, the alternative demands honesty and courage. It requires admitting that current strategies are not effective enough to bring control or peace. In fact, the alternative could be challenging unless we are determined, as it demands confronting corruption wi-thin enforcement, main- taining consistent operations, protecting farmers who choose honesty despite the danger, and creating real economic opportunities for communities. Above all, it requires integrity and persistence, because lasting peace depends on them.
Manipur must act now- Its land can produce lawful crops, and its people can live in peace, but that demands action, not words. The fight must destroy the illegal poppy economy that could have fuelled violence. The State faces a clear choice between righteousness and empty display, between lasting peace and permanent chaos.
Choosing justice today will determine whether Ma-nipur’s future rests on peace or falls back into violence. It is encouraging to see more normal lives in the State these days, as many yearn for normalcy and move on. As one united community against opium economy war, we must stand with enforcement efforts and help them fulfil their mission-a shared mission for those who love peace and genuine growth!
Statement : I do not support illegal poppy culti- vation. I support sustainable alternatives that strengthen society and help affected farmers in Manipur. I stand firmly behind the Manipur Government’s ‘War on Drugs’ campaign. As a strong, united community, we must work alongside Government agencies that are helping farmers abandon illegal poppy farming. We, the people of Manipur, can eliminate unlawful poppy cultivation through collective effort. I call upon the entire Manipur community to unite as one team in this fight against illegal cultivation of poppy, working together to create sustainable livelihoods and a healthier future for all.
About the author: Chongboi Haokip, MCIHort, is an international development consultant specialising in agriculture, horticulture, and trade facilitation. She can be reached at chongboi4community@gmail.com.