With a pending stupendous increase in the price of the commodity illegal imports from Pakistan is likely to increase substantially in the ensuing months. Pakistani poppy seeds which are darker in colour and more strong in nature cost only Rs 15 a kilogram and it would be cheaper to buy it at that price even after paying a 450 per cent duty on it as it would work out to Rs 90 a kilogram when the prices are likely to rule in the range of Rs 150-300 in the domestic market.

A small quantity is also being imported from Turkey in the name of pharmaceutical applications which has a bluish hinge against the white coloured domestic output. Most of the country's crop istaken in MP and Rajasthan and a small quantity is cultivated in UP and Imphal. The main supplying centres are Jhavara, Mansoor and Neemaj in MP and Ramgajmandi in Rajasthan. The farmers in MP had a dispute with the state government on zoning the area for the purpose of undertaking cultivation of poppy-seeds.

Since poppy-seeds are a by-product of opium drug government permission is necessary. By the time the dispute was resolved only half the farmers had cultivated poppy-seeds in September thus resulting in a production loss of 50 per cent. According to the traders at New Bombay market last week prices of best quality poppy seeds have reached a high of Rs 200-225 per kilogram while the prices of Pakistani poppy seeds have crossed Rs 125 per kilogram.

The prices are on a rise and are likely to increase further with the onset of demand in the next two months as arrivals of domestic poppy seeds is going to be restricted.