The Organization : 

The Head of the Organisation is the Chief Controller of factories with its offices at New Delhi. The Chief Controller exercises supervisions and control over the two factories located at Ghazipur and Neemuch. The Opium Factories undertake the work of receipt of opium from the fields, its storage and processing for exports. The Alkaloid Works are engaged in processing raw opium into alkaloids of pharmacopoeial grades. The overall supervision of the organization is vested with the Committee of Management under the Chairmanship of the Additional Secretary (Revenue), Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue.
(i) Supply of opium as a narcotics raw material to the domestic as well as the international market and to maintain buffer stock so as to cater to any global exigency.
(ii) Supply of narcotic alkaloids to pharmaceutical companies for production of analgesics and other related drugs.
(iii) Import of narcotics drugs as per requirement of the domestic market.
(iv) Supply of opium to the State Excise Authorities for de-addiction.
(v) Supply of opium and narcotics alkaloids to Training & research Institutes.
Mission & Vision : The mission of the organization can be broadly summarized as under :-
(i) To act as a reliable supply of narcotics raw material to the domestics as well as the international market and to maintain buffer stock so as to cater to any global.
(ii) To provide opium to State Excise authorities for de-addiction.
(iii) To provide opium and various opium based alkaloids to training and research Institute.
(iv) To maintain and enhance export market for narcotics raw materials.
(v) To enhance the efficiency of production of alkaloids in the country byin house R&D and other developments.
(vi) To carry out R&D in the field of opium based alkaloids.
(vii) To lead the country to greater self-reliance on narcotics raw materials.

GOVERNMENT OPIUM & ALKALOID WORKS, GHAZIPUR, UTTAR PRADESH

The first recorded instance of cultivation of poppy in India in the 15th Century mentions Cambay and Malwa as the places where it was grown. During the days of the Mughal Empire, poppy was extensively grown and it became an important article of trade with China and other Eastern countries. During the later part of the 16th Century, opium was madeState monopoly. However, during the twilight years of the Mughal Empire, the State lost its hold on the monopoly, and control over the production and sale of opium was appropriated by a ring of merchants in Patna. In 1757, the monopoly of the cultivation of poppy passed into the hands of the east India Company who had by that time assumed the responsibility for the collection of revenue in Bengal and Bihar. In 1973, the then Governor General, Lord Warren Hastings brought the entire opium trade under the control of the Government.
Although some changes have taken place over the year in the methods of the control of production, distribution, sale and possession of opium, the monopoly remained solely in the hands of the Government under the East India Company and afterwards under the British rule, unrestricted cultivation of the poppy and the production of opium were prohibited. The present structure of licit poppy cultivation and production of opium in India under a regular system of control thus dates back to the beginning of the nineteenth century. Processing of opium in India began with the setting up of the opium factory in 1820 in Ghazipur (U.P.), a town of Eastern UP located on the banks of the river Ganga. Later an alkaloid plant was set up at Ghazipour in 1943 during the period of World War II. The opium and alkaloid plants are spread over an area of about 43 acres.

GOVERNMENT OPIUM & ALKALOID WORKS, NEEMUCH, MADHYA PRADESH

The second plant for processing opium and manufacture of alkaloids located in Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh, which is approximately 5 Kms. from the eastern border of Rajasthan. It also comprises two separate units namely, the Opium factory and Alkaloid Works. The Neemuch Opium Factory has been in operation since 1st April, 1935. Initially, there was another Opium Factory at Mandsaur but the same was closed down in the year, 1969. The Alkaloid works was inaugurated on 6th October, 1976. The campus has an area of 57,000 Sq. Mtrs.