Opium cultivation replaced by Pumpkin in Medo village of Arunachal

Pumpkin cultivation has replaced the illegal growing of poppy seeds in a village in Lohit district providing the farmers both mental peace and money thanks to the consistent efforts of the Arunachal Pradesh government.

Medo village, over 300 km from the state capital and 27 km from the district headquarter town of Tezu, once had the dubious distinction of being the opium hub of Lohit district.

The government’s war against opium in the past few years and the schemes taken up by it have resulted in its farmers taking up cultivation of cash crops like ginger, mustard and tea, besides pumpkin, a popular vegetable.