Traveled with Larry Chung to Lucknow, India to learn more about the narcotic-free poppy developed by CIMAP scientists. Since we could not meet with CIMAP until Monday, we took a short four day tour of Delhi - Jaipur - Agra - Delhi before flying to Lucknow on Monday July 22.
"Successful development of a non-narcotic (opiumless and alkaloid-free) var. Sujata of opium poppy for the first time in the world has heralded a new era of opium poppy cultivation which need not be licensed. This novel variety offers a cheap and permanent natural means of combating opium-linked social abuses across the world. It is also a high calorie and protein-rich (>23%) seed (food) crop. Its seeds possess higher oil content (50¡V>52%) with greater proportion of hypocholesterolemic unsaturated fatty acids, than the major oilseed crops, viz. rapeseed and mustard in India. Hence, the var. Sujata is a potential supplement to the production of healthful vegetable oil, referred to as 'Sonola', for a good dietary control for coronary heart disease. Besides, it forms a sound parental base for development of hyper-alkaloid true CPS chemotypes/varieties for pharmaceutical purposes."
Arranged to meet with officers of CIMAP in Lucknow, India who developed Sujata. CIMAP is the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants a constituent laboratory under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) - India's leading national Scientific and Research Organization. In correspondence with CSIR, in advance of our trip, CIMAP advised that we must obtain clearance from the MEA (India's Ministry of External Affairs).
We contacted the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants to explore the possibilities of sujata application in the Wa area of northern Myanmar. Dr SN Garg, Head of International Scientific Collaboration of CIMAP in Lucknow wrote to us on 6/21 to advise us that the Director General of CSIR had approved our visit to CIMAP subject to MEA clearance. Despite our efforts, we were not able to determine how to obtain this clearance and decided to travel to Lucknow and meet with CIMAP regardless. We met with the director of CIMAP and a panel of scientists involved in the development of sujata on 7/22 (4 PM). We were advised to obtain clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs before continuing discussions. The Director also advised that we work with his parent organization, the CSIR in Delhi, which we visited the following day.
We met with Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Joint Advisor, International S&T Affairs Directorate, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on July 23. CSIR advised that CIMAP can not only provide sujata seeds for the Wa, but may also be available to provide elements of technology transfer and field training which could further insure the success of a crop replacement program.
Many people we met on this recent venture questioned our enthusiasm for sujata. We believe that the extraordinarily high vegetable oil value of sujata seed is economically promising. We have attempted crop substitution of opium with rubber, grains and tea in the past with disappointingly limited success. We are further encouraged by the leader of the Wa's personal high interest in the sujata strain. In his sincere mission to rid his peoples of the scourge of the drug industry in his area, he has promised to arrange economic subsidies to insure that sujata's output value matches the value of their current opium crops. Indeed the Wa leadership has a clear record of fulfilling similar promises in their relocation of large numbers of Wa to the lowlands of the southern Wa area, where the Wa constructed hospitals, schools and roads to support their relocated population.