A group of experts in Kyrgyzstan has proposed the cultivation of opium poppies for medicinal purposes. The experts argue that the country has a high chance of receiving UN quotas for the production of opium poppies, as it is a developing country and its territory is landlocked, TuraNews.kz reports.
Murat Suyunbaev, academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, noted that Russia and Hungary are promising markets for the sale of opium poppies grown in Kyrgyzstan. Both countries have extensive production capabilities for poppy-based medicines. Suyunbaev also said that Türkiye, Iran, and India could provide support for the implementation of the project.
According to Suyunbaev, the cultivation of opium poppies in Kyrgyzstan could become a strong environmental brand on the world market.
Biochemist Bakyt Saipbaev recalled that more than 50 types of analgesic drugs are produced using opium poppy. He also said that Russia is increasingly interested in opium poppy raw materials, against the backdrop of war and international isolation.
Saipbaev believes that fears regarding the deterioration of the drug situation in the country are unfounded, as drug trafficking already exists in Kyrgyzstan and the issue of stopping it is a matter of state control..
Political scientist Bakyt Baketaev said that Kyrgyzstan needs to actively develop agriculture and engage in the most marginal crops. He noted that the opium poppy is the most profitable crop, and that involving 1 thousand hectares of land in poppy production could bring in up to $2.5 billion per year.
