Opium production

Opium production involves harvesting the latex from the seed pods of opium poppy plants. Farmers carefully score the immature pods, allowing the white latex to exude and harden. This latex is then collected, processed, and dried into a sticky substance called raw opium. This raw opium can be refined further into various narcotics like heroin or processed into other drugs. The activity is often linked to illegal agricultural practices due to its association with drug trafficking, though the cultivation of opium poppies is regulated or banned in many countries.