Licensed Opium Poppy Cultivation in Bundi: A Regulated Heritage

Bundi district is part of Rajasthan's traditional opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) cultivation zone, where farmers with licences from the Narcotics Control Bureau grow the crop under strict regulation. Licensed cultivation is permitted in parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, a recognition of the crop's ancient agricultural and medicinal role in Indian society. Bundi farmers grow opium poppy in winter (November to March) on rich, well-irrigated soil. The latex (raw opium) is extracted by scoring unripe capsules with a serrated blade, collecting the dried exudate (chirka), and submitting it to government procurement centres at a fixed price per kg. Poppy seeds are retained by farmers and sold legally for culinary use, as khas khas seeds are used widely in cooking. The poppy straw after latex extraction is processed for alkaloid extraction at government factories.