The Government Opium and Alkaloid Factories (GOAF) is an Indian government-owned organisation. Its headquarter is located in New Delhi. The overall supervision of the organisation comes under the purview of Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.[1] There are two factories under the GOAF - Government Opium and Alkaloid Works, Ghazipur (U.P.) and Government Opium and Alkaloid Works, Neemuch (M.P.).
Products
The enterprise's two factories specialize in the production of opium and the extraction of related alkaloids (such as Codeine phosphates, Morphine salts, Dionine, Morphine Hydrochloride, Thebaine,[2] and more). It is the country's largest producer of opium-related products.[3]
Cultivation of poppy for factory
The input for factory is derived from licensed poppy cultivators in India from the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The entire produce is brought by government and supplied to GOAF. GOAF delivers the finished products such as alkaloids to the pharmaceutical industry.[4]
In 2017, the Central Government of India started steps to privatize cultivation and processing of poppy in the country. A trial contract was awarded to a pharma company, Rusan Pharma Ltd and Embio limited to cultivate poppy over 2 hectares of land and extract the essence using a technology called concentrated poppy straw (CPS).[5]
Factories
Government Opium and Alkaloid Works, Ghazipur (U.P.)
The Ghazipur factory began life as the Benaras Opium Agency,[6] an entity of the East India Company, in 1820. The opium processed at Ghazipur was sent to Calcutta (now known as Kolkata) for auction, then shipped to the south China coast and smuggled into the country via the port of Canton (now known as Guangzhou). In 1945, the factory began extracting alkaloids in addition to processing opium.[3] Currently, Sh. Rajendra Kumar, I.R.S. Additional GST Commissioner hold the additional charge of General Manager of this factory and Mr. O.P. Rai, I.R.S. is the Manager/ Asstt. Commissioner of factory along with the other official is currently posted in factory i.e Mr. Ajeet Kumar, C.L.S., Asst.Commissioner(central-Labour Welfare).The Ghazipur opium factory is mentioned in the novel "Sea of Poppies" by Amitav Ghosh. More recently both the Ghazipur and Nimach factories are referred to as sources of illegal smuggling for opium manufacture in the movie "Udta Punjab" (2016). This factory has connectivity with National Waterway 1.[7]
Organization
After 1976, organisation is headed by the Chief Controller of Factories, currently Shri Anil Ramteke, IRS.
Workforce
The enterprise employs 1,432 people.[3]
Security
Security is managed by members of the Central Industrial Security Force, with 123 assigned to the Ghazipur factory and 104 to Neemuch.[3]
See also
- Opium licensing
- Opium poppy
- First and Second Opium Wars
- Company rule in India
- Pharmaceuticals in India
- Opiate and Opioid
- Indian Narcotic Substances Act
- Commission on Narcotic Drugs
- International Narcotics Control Board
- Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Protocol Amending the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (includes "Article 21" — Limitation of Production of Opium)
- Legal opium production in India
References
- Vikram Doctor. Union Budget 2012: Opium trade tucked away among the budget papers The Economic Times, retrieved 2021-03-01^
- V.S. Ramanathan, P. Chandra. Recovery of thebaine and cryptopine from Indian opium (UNODC)^
- (14.1 KB) (Government of India) Particulars of the organisation, its functions and duties