Behind the election din in the state, poppy fields in Kullu valley - known for the supply of international quality of narcotics including charas and opium - are in full bloom.

The crop, grown illegally in the high mountains and inaccessible valleys, is ready for harvest, and some leading buyers are already here to strike deals with locals.

Admits Kullu’s Superintendent of Police KK Indoria, “Poppy is the most lucrative crop in the district after cannabis (bhang), and is grown illegally.”

Last week alone, the police, supported by home guards, Revenue and Forest officials destroyed 1,800 bighas of standing poppy crop in Kullu, Banjar and Bhuntar. The value of the crop is estimated to be in crores, since the plants were more than five feet tall.

The locals engaged in the harvest of the crop go into hiding during such raids. Indoria says the problem of the police is that poppy is grown on land belonging either belong to the Forest Department or the Revenue Department. This way, cultivators escape arrest.

DR Thakur, a Kullu farmer, points out that earlier, farmers here only traditional crops. They shifted to poppy when they learnt of its high returns.

Local politicians say there is nothing wrong in the venture as it brings good money for the farmers. However, drug smuggling in Kullu has assumed alarming proportions. Since January 2009, district police have registered 59 cases under the NDPS Act.

Former minister and PCC president Kaul Singh Thakur had demanded legalisation of poppy cultivation, as it is allowed by the Centre in a few states. “Poppy is used in medicines and drugs , and there is no problem if the government allows licenced cultivation of poppy,” he maintains.

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