However, in the 2021-22 crop year, the Union government changed its opium policy, allowing private players to produce CPS from the opium poppy to boost the yield of alkaloids. Parmanand Patidar, another farmer in the area who holds a licence for extracting opium gum, complains that the government did not consult the farmers before opening up production to private players. “The government could consider a policy which will enable farmers to sell the additional opium gum (extracted over and above the limit set by the government) in the open market monitored by the government,” suggests Ambalal Jat, a farmers’ leader from Neemuch.