"Key Takeaways: 2022 survey results point towards increased sophistication of farming practices and concentration of opium poppy cultivation Typically, most of the opium poppy cultivation detected in Myanmar in the past was small, poorly organized plots with relatively low cultivation density when compared to most other licit cash crops. Fields were often found outside of main agricultural areas, away from villages and roads. However, the evidence collected in 2022 points towards increasing sophistication in poppy cultivation practices. Newly sampled areas reveal greater opium poppy cultivation in high-density poppy cultivation hotspots. A general increase in poppy cultivation in some regions of the country is also evident with opium poppy fields becoming larger. In Shan State, field size increased by more than 30% compared to 2021 (from about 0.3 to 0.4 hectares on average). Additionally, field research observed very well organized and high yielding opium poppy plots that had not been identified before. This was most evident in East Shan where substantial and significant increases in both opium poppy capsule number and volume were observed (the average number of observed capsules per plot increased by 44% and their average volume more than doubled). This translated into higher overall yields. National yield estimates indicated an average of 19.8 kg of opium per hectare of poppy; levels that, while far below potential productivity in opium gum, are at the highest-ever estimated in Myanmar since UNODC started measuring. In the first full season opium survey after the military takeover, poppy cultivation is estimated to have increased by 33% compared to the previous season In 2022, the area under opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar was estimated at 40,100 (29,000 to 62,900) hectares. This estimate is 33% greater, or about 10,000 more hectares than in 2021, reversing the downward trend that started in 2014. The increase was recorded against the backdrop of significant social, economic, security and governance disruptions in the course of 2021. The increased estimate was likely due to two main factors: 1) increased size of fields; and 2) the detection of opium poppy hotspots. Together this translated into a higher overall area estimates under opium poppy cultivation. Furthermore eradication efforts appeared to have decreased substantially: 1,403 hectares were reported as eradicated in 2022, 70% less than in 2021..."