Over eight acres of poppy plantations in Kengtung Township, Eastern Shan State, were eradicated, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

On February 20, at 9:50 a.m., a joint task force comprising officers from the Kengtung Township Police Force and local military personnel destroyed approximately three acres of poppy fields located about one mile east of Phar Lyan Village in the Mong Pan Village Tract. Additionally, around 5.5 acres of poppy fields were eradicated about two miles east of Mong Pan Auk Village.

Earlier, on February 15, authorities in the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone of Southern Shan State also destroyed 30 acres of poppy plantations in Hsihseng Township. The eradication team included police officers led by Deputy Police Major Win Zaw Oo, local military members, and officials from various township departments, including General Administration, Fire Services, Agriculture, Forestry, Land Records, and Public Health.

Their efforts included the destruction of 15 acres of poppy fields north of Saw Sar Village, 11 acres west of Hti Yam Village, and four acres east of Hti Va Village. Authorities plan to continue eliminating the remaining poppy plantations in Hsihseng Township.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Shan State remains Myanmar’s leading region for poppy cultivation, accounting for 88% of the country's total. While cultivation has slightly declined in Northern and Eastern Shan State, bordering Laos and Thailand, overall poppy cultivation in the area has increased by 10%.