Rajasthan: Doped parrots strike fear into opium farmers

Opium farmers in Chittorgarh and Pratapgarh districts of Rajasthan are a worried lot. Their crop has begun to ripen and they have to protect it from 'the winged thieves' who have grown a strong addiction to a certain crop. The districts have an abundance of parrots and their green army is wreaking a havoc on opium pods which are ready for collection.

The parrots have become so addicted to the opium that they teem on the trees in the farms and attack the pods the moment the day breaks. They sip the opium milk drops from the pods, and, to suck out more, they nibble on the pod, damaging it. The wobbly disoriented flights of the parrots make their state of intoxication obvious. They often end up crashing into trees and branches or are found lying in the fields in a daze, flying off once the effect wears off, only to return again.

"A slit is inflicted on the pods of the crop when it ripens and the opium milk flows out. The pods are slit multiple times over a period of several days to extract the complete milk of the opium produce," said Mahesh Verma, Joint Director, Agriculture, Udaipur region.       

"The parrots suck the few drops of opium left on the pods and to obtain more, they keep nibbling into it. This damages the pods and ruins the khas khas," said Verma.       

"We lose as much as 10 to 15 per cent of our crop to these parrots. There is no way to protect our produce from them," said Narendra Singh, an opium farmer from Pratapgarh.

"We acquire a license to cultivate opium. The narcotics department, that buys our crops, has fixed parameters about crop quantity per land holding. If the yield is less, a penalty will be imposed," added Singh.

After Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan is the second largest producer of opium and the product is purchased by the Central Narcotics Bureau. It is largely used in the medicine industry.