Cultivation in the Central Asian republics of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan was negligible. Unlike coca fields, which can last 10 to 15 years or more, poppy must be planted every year. This, along with growers' reactions to variables such as fluctuating opium prices and labor availability, can cause production to vary from year to year more than is typically the case with coca. Southeast Asia Opium Cultivation and Production Opium cultivation and production in the Golden Triangle dropped sharply to the lowest levels since 1988, as drought and eradication affected the crop. In Burma, hot, dry weather, in combination with Rangoon's first eradication effort since 1988, reduced cultivation by 16 percent and potential production by 26 percent.
Most cultivation is centered in the northeastern Shan State.
Cultivation in Laos was down 7 percent and production declined a steep 33 percent as crop yields were hit particularly hard by the drought. Opium yield survey, Burma Successful crop control efforts in Thailand kept production low. Some growers attempted to avoid eradication by planting their poppies before or after the normal crop cycle, but so far this crop is minimal. The opium crop in Vietnam was modest at 3,000 hectares and 20 metric tons of opium, and cultivation in China's Yunnan Province was negligible. Southwest Asia Opium Cultivation and Production Afghanistan remained the world's second-largest opium producer as the crop there increased 7 percent to another record level.