Full Text
REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99
The Gazette of India
CG-DL-E-11092025-266086
EXTRAORDINARY
PART II—Section 3—Sub-section (i)
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY
No. 578]
NEW DELHI, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2025/BHADRA 20, 1947
MINISTRY OF FINANCE
(Department of Revenue)
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 11th September, 2025
No. 02/2025-Narcotics Control-1
G.S.R. 622(E). — In pursuance of rule 8 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Rules, 1985, the Central Government hereby notifies the general conditions for grant of license specified below for cultivation of opium poppy for obtaining opium gum through lancing on account of the Central Government during the Opium Crop Year commencing on the 1st day of October, 2025 and ending with the 30th day of September, 2026:-
1. Place of Cultivation
Opium poppy cultivation may be licensed in any tract as may be notified in this behalf by the Central Government.
2. Eligibility for Cultivation
Subject to clauses 3 and 7 of this notification, the following cultivators (including legal heirs) shall be eligible for a license to cultivate opium poppy for obtaining opium gum through lancing:
(i) Cultivators who had cultivated opium poppy during the crop year 2024-25 and tendered an average yield of Morphine (MQY-M) not less than 4.2 kg per hectare.
Note- Average qualifying yield of Morphine in opium tendered in kilograms per hectare will be termed as Minimum Qualifying Yield (MQY-M) in the notification hereinafter.
(ii) Cultivators who ploughed back their entire poppy crop, cultivated during the crop year 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 under the supervision of the Central Bureau of Narcotics in accordance with the provisions in this regard, but had not similarly ploughed back their entire poppy crop during 2021-22.
(iii) Cultivators whose appeal against refusal of License has been allowed after the last date of settlement in the crop year 2024-25.
(iv) Cultivators who were eligible for a license for the crop year 2024-25, but did not obtained license for any reason, or who after having obtained a license, did not actually cultivate opium poppy due to any reason.
(v) Cultivator who is nominated by deceased eligible cultivator in column No. 11 in Form No. 1 (see rule 7) for the crop year 2024-25.
(vi) One of legal heirs of deceased eligible cultivators as determined by the District Opium Officer after following the due process, in the cases where nomination in Form No.1 is not made for any reason or nomination of person not falling under definition of family members/ blood relatives in Form No. 1 is made.
(vii) Cultivators who had cultivated opium poppy for production of Poppy Straw from which no juice is extracted through lancing during the crop year 2024-25 and have tendered poppy straw at weighment center with an average yield of 900 kg per hectare or more.
3. Conditions of License
No cultivator shall be granted license unless he/she satisfies that:
(i) He/ She did not, in the course of actual cultivation, exceed the area licensed for poppy cultivation during the crop year 2024-25 beyond the 5% 'Condonable Limit' allowed in the licensing policy.
(ii) He/she did not at any time resort to illicit cultivation of opium poppy and was not charged in any competent court for any offence under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 and the Rules made thereunder.
(iii) He/she did not, during the crop year 2024-25, violated any of the departmental instructions issued by the Central Bureau of Narcotics/ Narcotics Commissioner to the cultivators.
4. Maximum Area
(i) All the cultivators eligible under clause 2 above will be issued license of 0.10 Hectare in one plot only. This plot may be spread across more than one revenue khasra numbers.
(ii) Cultivators will be permitted to take on lease, land belonging to others, to make up the licensed area, if they so desire.
5. Forewarning
(i) A minimum qualifying yield (MQY-M) of 5.9 Kg Morphine/ Hectare of Morphine in opium tendered should be achieved during the crop year 2025-26 to become eligible for a license to cultivate opium poppy in the following year i.e. 2026-27.
(ii) Morphine content of opium tendered during 2025-26 may become the basis for payment for the crop year 2025-26, if the Government decides to do so in this regard.
(iii) Cultivators who had fully ploughed back their entire poppy during crop year 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 would not be entitled for license in the crop year 2026-27, if they have also ploughed back their crop fully in the crop year 2025-26.
6. Condonable Limit
If the area actually cultivated is up to 5% in excess of the licensed area, such excess cultivation may be condoned.
7. Miscellaneous
(i) The cultivators, eligible for issue of license for opium poppy cultivation for production of Gum Opium during the Crop Year 2025-26, shall provide in the Application Form No. 1, the details of owner of the plot, survey number etc of the plot in which they are intending to cultivate opium poppy crop as well as any other details as may be suitably and reasonably notified by the Narcotics Commissioner.
(ii) These General Licensing Conditions are without prejudice to the right of the Narcotics Commissioner/ Deputy Narcotics Commissioner to issue/ withhold a license whenever it is deemed proper to do so in accordance with the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 and the Rules made thereunder.
(iii) The license shall be subject to the condition that any field may be taken over for any research that may be conducted by the Government directly or in collaboration with any specialized Institution or Agency for obtaining opium gum or poppy straw without extraction of opium. The cultivator whose field is selected for research shall be considered for license for the next year, if he/ she has tendered the stipulated MQY-M and is otherwise eligible. The area taken over for research will not be taken into account while calculating the average yield.
(iv) For the purpose of making payment of opium tendered by the cultivator, on the basis of analysis by the Government Opium and Alkaloid Works, Neemuch or Ghazipur, either on the quantity of opium tendered by a farmer calculated at 70° consistency or on the morphine content basis, if government decides to do so.
(v) In respect of cultivators having opium cultivation license in a particular village but are having residence in the adjacent village, such cultivators may be allowed to store opium in their residence, provided that there is continuous human settlement between such villages.
(vi) The name of eligible cultivators will be uploaded on CBN website(cbn.nic.in) and /or CBN online portal (cbnonline.nic.in) and may be communicated through other means like messages on given mobile number, mails etc. The cultivators listed in the eligibility list shall apply through online mode on CBN Online Portal for obtaining license within the stipulated timeline.
(vii) Existing licenses shall not be required to submit paper for which information is already with CBN. Information will be provided in case of any changes from previous year.
(viii) If there is difference in any para of Hindi version of opium policy 2025-26, then, English version of same shall be followed.
[F. No. N-14011/3/2025-NC-1]
RAM LAKHAN, Under Secy.