Odisha, India – Ajay Raut is an indigenous farmer from a remote village in the southern state of Odisha, India.
The village is surrounded by forests and hills, and the nearest market is 10 km (6.2 miles) away.
The 34-year-old grows sweet corn and vegetables on 0.2 hectares (0.5 acres) for his family to eat and to sell at market.
Raut said this income was meager, so he started growing cannabis, a banned substance, to increase his income.
He grows about 1,000 cannabis plants deep in the hills, but getting there requires at least a two-hour trek each way. The roads are full of rocks and boulders, making it almost impossible to ride a bicycle or motorbike.
Cultivation of cannabis, also known as hemp, marijuana, weed, and ganja, is widespread in several states, including Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir, which became a Union Territory in 2019. It is legal for medical purposes only in some states. is not one of them.
India had no drug laws until November 1985, when a law containing a ban on the use of cannabis was enacted.
The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 makes it illegal for a person to cultivate, possess, sell, buy or consume narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, punishable by stiff fines and up to 20 years in prison. There is a possibility that
Risky but profitable
Raut, who has been in the industry for the past eight years, served three months in jail in 2017 and has been out on bail since then. The income from the huge business for him overcomes the fear of getting involved in it.
“We live in a hilly area and the scope of traditional agriculture is very limited. Growing vegetables and sweet corn barely earns me 30,000 rupees (about 35,700 yen) a year, but cannabis You can easily earn 500,000 rupees (about $5,962) in just five to six months of cultivation,” he told Al Jazeera after being assured that his real name would not be disclosed. revealed.
Raut said he and other cannabis growers typically choose remote locations in hilly areas for their farms to protect themselves from police raids. “We are lucky to live in the middle of the hills because this road is too difficult to trek and reach the plantation areas. There are no police raids here,” he said.
The planting season begins at the end of July. It typically takes five months for the flowers to grow, after which they are picked, dried in the sun, packaged and sold to traders. Plants 8 to 10 feet tall (2.4 to 3 meters tall) produce 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of cannabis, costing 500 to 600 rupees ($5.8 to $7) per kilogram. Farmers sell it to traders for 1,000 to 1,500 rupees ($12 to $18) per kilogram.
“However, not all trees have the same effect; most trees do not bloom at all. Excessive rain is harmful to crops,” said farmer Deepankar Nayak, 37. Ta.
Lifestyle changes
Despite the ban on cannabis cultivation in Odisha, it is a very lucrative business for farmers, making them rich overnight.
Subhankar Das, 38, who lives in the same village as Raut, told Al Jazeera that he had recently replaced the floors in his house from concrete to marble tiles using the proceeds from illegal trade. He also bought three motorcycles. His children attend a local language school, but he is considering transferring them to an English language school where tuition is much more expensive.
“We can buy a four-wheeler, we can build a palatial house, but such activities are a threat to the police, who are always on the lookout to catch us or destroy our fields. We must refrain from such activities as it will put us on the radar,” Das added. “Still, some of us bought four-wheelers.”
NK Nandi, founder of SACAL, a non-profit organization working in weed-growing areas, said he has witnessed changes in farmers’ lifestyles.
“We started working in a cannabis-growing area in 2000, where the local population was mostly tribal, rarely owned two-wheelers, and lived in mud houses. Marriage was simple. , which was done according to tribal traditions. But everything has changed a lot in the last eight to 10 years,” Nandi said.
“Each tribal family not only bought two or three motorcycles but also built concrete houses. and invite a few guests. Reduced insurgent activity in these areas and improved transport links have made these areas more accessible to traders.” , he said, contributing to the expansion of the market for this banned product.
police raid
Cannabis cultivation is currently active in six districts of Odisha: Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagada, Gajapati, Budh and Kandhamal, all of which are located in mountainous and hilly areas.
State police officials told Al Jazeera that they are doing everything in their power to stop illegal trade, and that in the three years to 2023 they have seized about 600 tons of cannabis, worth $200 million, and arrested 8,500 drug traffickers. He also said he was arrested. Last year, police seized 185.4 tons of marijuana, worth about $55 million, in what was at one point the largest such drug bust.
Police also destroyed about 28,000 hectares (70,000 acres) of cannabis plantations in Odisha between 2021 and 2023, the most of any cannabis plantation in the country, the Odisha Police Special Task Force said. Former inspector general JN Pankaj told Al Jazeera. .
He said that in the first seven months of 2024, his team seized 102.2 tons of cannabis worth about $30 million.
“We use drones and even satellite imagery to track and destroy plantations,” Pankaj said. “It poses a serious risk to the lives of our team,” he said.
And even though his team has reduced plantation areas from 12 to 8 a few years ago, he said the drug’s huge demand and astronomical prices are helping the trade thrive. For example, traders buy cannabis from farmers for about 1,000 rupees ($12) per kilogram, but it sells for 25,000 rupees ($298) per kilogram in India’s big cities.
alternative livelihood
Several farmers who were previously involved in the trade confirmed to Al Jazeera that they quit due to excessive police patrols.
“They come and destroy our farms, cause us serious losses, and arrests. We can’t afford to spend a lot of money on legal fees and we don’t want to disrupt our family life. ” said Prabhat Raut, 50, a farmer from southern Odisha who, after growing cannabis for five years, switched to millet cultivation instead.
“It’s not as profitable as weed, but it doesn’t have the headaches,” he explained.
Millet is an ancient grain native to parts of southern India that the federal and state governments are trying to revive.
Odisha provides free seeds for sowing and incentives for the state to buy crops from farmers are helping to lure farmers into this crop and make Odisha an important player in millet production.
But for Raut, no cultivation can match the profits of cannabis. “Farmers are shifting out of fear, but the income from millet can’t match the profits from cannabis. I take the risk because it’s worth it,” he said, pointing to cloud-covered skies. Down below, he said as he began the grueling journey to the fields.
Editor’s note: The names of all farmers featured in the story have been changed to protect their identities.
