Substitute Plantation is the Best Way to Stop Drug Trafficking from the Source

---the trial of promoting international drug control through transnational cultivation and plantation practiced by Yunnan State-run Menglian Farm

Abstract: An effective method for rooting out drugs has been found through analyzing the situation of drug control, and it is to substitute the planting of rubber for opium poppy. The farm has made a great contribution to demonstrating and promoting the method

Key words: rubber, substitute plantation, opium poppy, Yunnan, China, Burma, special district

Menglian Farm is located within the two Chinese counties of Menglian and Ximeng. It lies at 22.12 to 22.45 degree north latitude and 98.78 to 99.30 degree east longitude. The different units of the farm face Burma across the river. The farm, a state-run medium-sized enterprise with 32 units and 4241 farm workers, owns a land area of about 4000hm²(about 60,000mu), among which rubber plantation occupies an area of 3973hm². Ever since 1990s, the farm has tried and succeeded in the new method of transnational substitute plantation through taking advantage of its own geographical position and natural environment.

1.       Analyzing the drug prohibition situation of both home and abroad

The Second Special District of the Shan State of Burma lies near the Golden Triangle, which has a long history of planting opium poppy and used to be the distribution center for drugs. Menglian Farm faces a grave situation in prohibiting drugs as it neighbors the area.

The border line of the two counties of Menglian and Ximeng is over 210km (among which Menglian 133km and Ximeng 80km). The southwestern part of Menglian and the western part of Ximeng border Burma. 80% of the farm workers live along the 90km-long border area on Chinese side.

1.1.   The work of drug control faces great difficulty due to the special geographical position.

The 26 units of the farm are distributed along the border. Although Nanka River separate them from Burma, people can wade across the river during the dry season. The 15^th group of the farm borders Burma across a mountain valley (No.855 boundary tablet). Crossing the border is easy to do. Drug dealers can enter China easily through mountain routes. The police stations of Menglian county and the farm have successfully captured drugs several times. The soldiers of Meng’a Frontier Check Station have made great achievements in stopping drug trafficking. But the drug dealers, driven by the large profits, still take risks in desperation.

1.2.   The source of drugs still exists. The peasants of the special district are still planting opium poppies on the western bank of Nanka River year by year. Drugs from the district are being carried into China and other parts of the world continuously.

The population of The Second Special District of Shan State is over 600,000, mainly composed of Wa people and other 22 nationalities. For more than 100 years, these people living on the border area plant opium poppy year by year and make opium from its juice and then trade their food and daily necessities with opium. These peasants have been planting opium poppy with the very primitive slash-and-burn cultivation method generation after generation. The international drug dealers buy the primary product of opium at very low prices. After refinery, they make large profits. Most drug dealers sell but do not take drugs, but most Wa peasants both plant and take drugs, which has made them live a very poor life. A negative circle of the more you plant, the poorer you are is formed. They often burn out a piece of mountain land and on which they plant opium poppy. When the fertility of this land is gone, they move to another mountain and start the circle once again. Such cultivation severely damaged the local plant life and led to the imbalance of the ecology.

1.3.   As long as drugs exist, there will be drug dealers and drug addicts.

The drug dealers in and outside China collude together to form international drug dealing groups which conduct buying, processing, transporting, selling drugs and washing money. With the help of modern means of transportation, communication and finance, they sell drugs to China and overseas. Although drug trafficking has received heavy blows, it never stops. Drug control still face a difficult situation.

The state-run Menglian Farm, located at the joint of Nanka River and Nanma River, is greatly harmed by drugs. At the end of 1992, more than 10 farm workers and youth awaiting employment got addicted to drug under the temptation of drug dealers from outside China. Some of them even committed crimes by participating in trafficking drugs. Drugs are doing harm to the health of the farm workers and endangering their lives. The farm will not be peaceful until drugs are rooted out.

1.4. Drug dealers often carry drugs across the border through both land routes and waterways.

Drug trafficking is often furtive, disguised and highly organized, which poses great difficult on the banning of it. Once the waterways are obstructed, the drug dealers take the land routes. They also take cruel and unexpected ways of trafficking drugs like posting, hiding drugs inside human bodies and other objects.

Under the basis of the analysis above, it can be expected that the work of drug prohibition will be hard and long lasting.

2.       Controlling drugs from the source and taking an active position through the new method of substitute plantation.

How to totally root out drugs? How to change Wa people’s habit of planting opium poppy and create a peaceful future for the border? These questions have drawn close attention from farm leaders at different levels.

For the prosperity of border area of the country and in order to let our off-spring stay away from drugs and enjoy peace and happiness, drug trafficking must be intercepted from its sources. An effective method is to practice substitute plantation, which Menglian Farm has successfully practiced after long term persistence.

2.1. Strengthening the propagation of the work of drug control.

In order to promote international drug control, the Standing Committee of Chinese People’s Congress and the Standing Committee of Yunnan People’s Congress issued A Decision on Drug Control respectively. These two legal documents have seen effects in standardizing Chinese citizen’s actions and threatening drug dealers.

Menglian farm copied the two Decisions and sent them to the teams on the border, which were required to publicize them. The farm also held a signature giving activity on treasuring life and staying away from drugs. Over 2,000 farm workers solemnly signed their names on a piece of red cloth to show their determination. It is publicized that planting, processing and dealing drugs are crimes harming human beings just like murdering and taking drugs is like committing suicide.

2.2. The work of drug control must be done from the source.

Bangkang (originally Bangsang) city is the political, economic, and cultural center of the Second Special District of Shan State. It is at the same time the distribution center of drug trading and trafficking. The villages in the special district are the sources of drugs.

Banning the crimes involving drugs is vividly described as ‘temporary solution’ and substitute plantation ‘permanent cure’. And this is quite reasonable. It is only by combining the two that the drugs can be rooted out. But it is not an easy job to change the primitive means of cultivation of the peasants out of Chinese border.

2.2.1. Establishing substitute plantation demonstration base across the border.

For the benefit of the later generations, the source of drugs must be rooted out no matter how difficult it is. For the cause of international drug control and the need of the self-development, the leaders of Menglian farm reached an agreement with the special district to establish a demonstration base of ‘cultivate the land and substitute plantation’ at the end of the year 1992. which aimed at helping Burma substitute rubber for opium poppy and played the role of a sample. There were 13 items in the contract, which covered land-renting duration, benefit distribution conditions, the safety of technicians, road and bridge construction and technicians training. The head of the special district and the leader of the farm signed the contract.

The farm had a limited capital at that time. But it received help from Yunnan Provincial Drug Control Commission, Yunnan Foreign Trade Commission, Yunnan Cultivation (Group) Co. Ltd. and Simao Cultivation Bureau. The farm, after collecting an amount of over 10 million RMB yuan, was determined to practice substitute plantation across the boarder.

During the 11 years, the rubber plantation has received support from the people and the government of the special district. After several years of careful management, the natural rubber planted during the years of 1993 and 1994 have started producing latex and gained initial profits. The establishment of the substitution plantation demonstration base has succeeded.

2.2.2. Developing the scope of substitution plantation by every possible means.

According to statistics, Burma has a total amount of 2,620,000hm² of land suitable for natural rubber (refer to A survey of rubber industry in Burma (j) in World Tropical Agricultural Information 2002.7), among which the special district accounts for over 30,000hm² (about 450,00 mu).

In order to help the peasants across the border to develop substitution plantation at a larger scale, the farm provided all-dimensional support: one was to send over 110 technicians on rubber planting and latex tapping across the border to help Wa people with rubber production; one was to encourage individuals to invest in rubber plantation and the local peasant get paid for land leasing; one was to establish joint ventures with local peasants and share risks and profits with them; one was to mobilize the farm workers to nurture excellent nurseries of natural rubber and supply the peasants of both home and abroad with rubber tree saplings of high quality at low costs; and another was to offer training on skills of rubber planting, latex tapping, rubber processing, disease prevention, plantation management and scientific fertilization.

After seeing the success of the demonstration base, the local peasants gave up their worries and participated in rooting out opium poppy and planting economic trees like rubber trees. Natural rubber industry is the most advantageous industry because rubber trees have very long lift span. A rubber tree can be tapped for latex for 40 years. If one rubber tree produces 7kg latex a year, one hm² produces 3.15 tons. The annual income of one hm² will be around 40,000 RMB yuan. Rubber trees can also beautify the environment, conserve water and maintain ecological balance. Developing natural rubber is the most ideal choice for substitute plantation.

Menglian Farm has given impetus to the plantation of natural rubber in the special district. Since 1995, the special district has planted over 7200hm² of rubber (about 108,000mu). About 20,000 Wa people from 5,000 households participated in the substitute plantation. The farm has invested 20 million RMB yuan in the plantation of over 2,200 hm² (about 33,000 mu) across the border, which has greatly reduced the area of opium poppy planting.

Because of the farm’s excellent work on substitute plantation, mass media including CCTV, YNTV, SMTV and many newspapers came to report on the project. In Feb. 2004, about 20 experts from UNDCP inspected the substitute plantation base and highly evaluated it.

The substitute plantation not only promoted the development of the farm itself, but also positively contributed to the cause of international drug control. It has received high comment from drug control commissions at different levels.

3.       Difficulties and problems facing substitute plantation and tentative plans

At present, the special district still has over 20,000 hm² (about 300,000 mu) of land suitable for natural rubber waiting for development. Before that, local people have to plant opium poppy to make a living, which will keep on doing harm to the people and the world.

3.1.   The shortage of capital is restricting the development.

In order to practice substitute plantation across the border, the farm is now greatly in debt. The loan of the farm totals 50 million RMB yuan, which reaches the extreme that the farm can bear.

The technicians from the farm are working under terrible condition across the border. Four of them died of malignant malaria because timely treatment was not available. Another three workers drown in Nanka River when they were crossing the river with a bamboo raft. The seven of them donated their treasured life for substitute plantation. How to improve the living condition of the workers across the border and how to guarantee their safety have become the focus of attention. It is estimated that a total amount of 8 million RMB yuan is needed to solve the problems of the construction of bridges, roads and houses, the supply of water and electricity, medical service and communication.

3.2.   Different countries make joint effort to development substitute plantation.

How to carry on and develop the project of substitute plantation?

Firstly, ASEAN countries and even countries of the world need to joint together to put in more investment in the project.

Secondly, Menglian Farm is willing to give instruction to the organization, plantation , management and technical skills of the substitute plantation project in the special district. About 300 million RMB yuan (the expenditures on infrastructure facilities not included) is needed for the development of over 20,000hm2 of natural rubber trees until they are ready to be tapped for latex (8-10 years).

Thirdly, ASEAN countries may joint together to establish a substitute plantation industry sharing holding company in the Golden Triangle and to form larger industrial groups.

Generally speaking, if all countries joint together to put in more effort and to strengthen international cooperation and if the severe banning on drugs and the substitute plantation is combined, the day when the drugs are rooted out will not be far.