Mexico's poppy area falls 27.65% to 8,028 hectares
A Mexico-UN report warns that a change in sampling limits comparison with the prior cycle. Potential opium gum output fell to 105.64 metric tons.
Mexico's opium poppy area was 8,028 hectares in the 2023-2024 cyclePDF, 27.65% below the 11,095 hectares of the cycle before. Potential production of dry opium gum fell from 166.31 to 105.64 metric tons.
The figures come from the seventh edition of a monitoring study run jointly by the Mexican government and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Defense Ministry shared it Friday on X, saying it aims to give drug policy a "scientific and statistical" evidence base against illicit crops.
| Indicator | 2021-2022 | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area planted (ha) | 9,790 | 11,095 | 8,028 |
| Opium gum yield (kg/ha) | 16.90 | 14.99 | 13.16 |
| Potential dry gum production (t) | 165.50 | 166.31 | 105.64 |
The drop comes with a caveat from the report itself: the sampling design changed. Researchers reviewed 300 cells of 10 by 10 km in 2022-2023 and 900 cells of 5 by 5 km in 2023-2024, drawn from a national grid of 82,068. The 95% confidence intervals for the two cycles also overlap, at 8,061 to 14,129 hectares for the first and 5,145 to 10,911 for the second.
The document points to other factors. Hurricane Otis hit farming in Guerrero and limited field sampling coverage, though its effect on the crops cannot be measured. Durango, Chihuahua and Sinaloa had severe drought during 2023-2024. The sampled plots were concentrated in those three states and in Guerrero.
Morphine content in the gum fell from 16.93% to 15.84%, based on analysis by the forensic chemistry lab of the Attorney General's Office.
That office also reports the area destroyed: 10,167 hectares in 2023 and 9,087 in 2024, the lowest figure in a series that begins in 2014. The peak was 29,824.5 hectares in 2017.
