waterboy 2.0 Posted October 17, 2013 Top End cattle station earmarked for poppy crop ABC RuralBy Matt Brann Updated October 11, 2013 14:07:23 Photo: Opium poppies growing in a trial near Katherine in the Northern Territory (TPI Enterprises) Audio: Growing opium poppies in the Northern Territory (ABC Rural) Audio: NT Government supportive of poppy industry (ABC Rural) Related Story: Victoria could be first mainland state to grow opium poppies Map: Darwin 0800 A Tasmanian poppy company is seeking permission to grow up to 500 hectares of opium poppies on a cattle station in the Northern Territory. TPI Enterprises is pushing ahead with its Top End plan, after successfully trialling the crop near Katherine and in the Douglas Daly region. Managing director Jarrod Ritchie says the two trial crops have just been harvested, and the yields and quality were comparable to crops grown in Tasmania. "We've been very pleased with the outcomes," he said. "These were proof-of-concept trials, so simplistically, they were about does it grow, and does it produce the alkaloid? "We can tick those both off, and it's warranted further investment and further applications to scale up the trials." TPI has already spent some $250,000 on its Top End poppy project and will next week lodge its application to trial poppies on Tipperary Station. "We'd look to be planting 500 hectares next year, and if that went well we'd look to do 1,000 to 2,000 hectares the following year. "And ultimately, matching our growth in line with market growth, it could end up being 10,000 hectares per annum." Tasmania has long dominated the international poppy market and supplies around half of the global demand for opiates. But the three companies which operate in Tasmania (TPI, GlaxoSmithKline and Tasmanian Alkaloids), are now looking to the mainland for expansion opportunities and will all be conducting trials in Victoria next year. "(The move to the Northern Territory) has come about because of two factors," Mr Ritchie said. "There's increasing global demand for pain management and anti-addiction drugs, and those products come out of the opium poppy. "So there's enormous demand, and that's been coupled with the limitation of Tasmania to supply a reliable amount of poppy straw." Mr Ritchie says a reliable dry season in the Northern Territory is very appealing to the poppy industry. He says the poppies trialled this year in the Northern Territory were ready for harvest in almost half the time it takes a crop to mature in Tasmania. "There is a much shorter growing period and a potential to get two crops in the ground during the dry season because of the timing...so we're very pleased and excited by it to be frank," he said. CEO of the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association, Jan Davis, says poppy growers in Tasmania have strongly supported the local poppy industry and is disappointed TPI intends to grow crops in the Northern Territory. Tasmania is the only state to grow pharmaceutical poppies at the moment and supplies around half of the global demand for opiates. Increasing demand from world markets and the reliability of the supply chain in Tasmania have been highlighted as the reason for the top end move. Jan Davis says the TFGA will be working closely with the Tasmanian poppy industry to ensure the sector has a strong future in the state. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10-11/opium-poppies-in-the-northern-territory/5015606# Was reminded of this yesterday 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted October 17, 2013 oh goodie! they wont run out of methadone! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bullit Posted October 17, 2013 how can u get them that big?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted October 17, 2013 feed em what they want, when they want it and pour a heap of other chems on them.... thats about average size for commercials bullit. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heretic Posted October 18, 2013 how can u get them that big?? It is the variety - get some seeds from your local baker .... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naja naja Posted October 18, 2013 i've stood amongst organic grown, non commercial, heirloom seed on indian origin and they were around 7ft tall and 20 odd heads per plant, was some crazy shit. They were single reds. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted October 24, 2013 (edited) oh goodie! they wont run out of methadone! Er... methadone is 100% synthetic, not derived from poppies in any way. If you meant this bit... "There's increasing global demand for pain management and anti-addiction drugs, and those products come out of the opium poppy. ... then they're probably talking about naltrexone & buprenorphine ("anti-addiction drugs"). These are both "semi-synthetic", i.e. synthesised from morphine or thebaine, which is derived from the poppies. Naloxone (i.e. narcan, the stuff given in opiate overdose), is another "semi-synthetic". Edited October 24, 2013 by Anodyne Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted October 25, 2013 ah the politics at play....TPI has an issue gaining poppy straw due to farmers not wanting to enter into growing contracts as they get a better deal and support from the other players. They are considered treacherous by some.... This is also the same company that has approval to import Turkish poppy straw pellets into Australia, but hasn't made a move yet. This sort of shenanigans sends an interesting message to the international narcotics control board and will probably start having an impact on licensing soon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
