NEW DELHI — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh departed Sunday on a three-day visit to Myanmar that underscores India's quest for energy supplies and concerns about China's strong influence in the Southeast Asian country.BANGKOK — The United Nations says opium production in Myanmar increased for the fifth straight year in 2011.
The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime says opium production was up 5 percent in 2011 over 2010, from about 580 metric tons (640 tons) to about 610 metric tons (670 tons).
The average price for opium in Myanmar also jumped from $305 per kilogram in 2010 to $450 per kilogram this year, an increase of 48 percent. The statistics come from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime's annual South-East Asia Opium Survey, which was released Thursday.
The reports says opium prices have been going up since 2002, with recent steep price increases making opium cultivation attractive to farmers.
