Q. Which country has recently surpassed Afghanistan to become the world's largest producer of opium in 2023 according to UNODC?
Answer:
Myanmar
Notes: Myanmar has risen to become the world's largest producer of opium in 2023, surpassing Taliban-ruled Afghanistan which had launched a major crackdown on poppy cultivation since early 2022. As per data by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Myanmar produced an estimated 1,080 metric tonnes of opium this year used to produce heroin. Meanwhile, Afghanistan saw production levels fall by 95% to just 330 tonnes after the Islamist Taliban rulers banned poppy farming citing it un-Islamic. The expansion of the illegal opiate economy in strife-torn Myanmar is attributed to the growing instability and conflict in the country since the 2021 coup.