Poppy farmers are a growing problem

BEIJING - The illegal cultivation of poppies in the neighboring country of Myanmar has doubled during the past three years and is presenting a growing problem for those protecting China's borders, said a senior police officer from Southwest China's Yunnan province.

Meng Sutie, director of Yunnan's public security department, told China Daily in an exclusive interview that those cultivating the poppies and producing opium try to smuggle most of their drugs across the border. But Meng said the quantity of synthetic drugs being brought into China from Myanmar now exceeds the volume of traditional drugs such as heroin and opium.

"Myanmar now grows about 26,800 hectares of poppies," Meng told China Daily from the sidelines of the plenary session of the National People's Congress this week.