Yangon, Dec 5 (IANS): Myanmar destroyed a total of 6,027 hectares of illicit poppy plantations across the country during the 2013-14 cultivation season, according to the anti-drug authorities Thursday.
In October 2013, the authorities destroyed 5,019 hectares of poppy plantations in Shan and Kayah states, reports Xinhua.
In 2012, Myanmar destroyed a total of over 23,770 hectares of poppy plantations. The government also punished 5,740 offenders in connection with 4,006 drug-related cases.
The government has extended its 15-year (1999-2014) drug elimination plan from 2014 to 2019.
The government has also implemented alternative development projects in the areas of poppy cultivation in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Drug and Crime and the governments of Thailand and China.