View source for News:2016-07-27/Report/psychedelic-idukki-gold-made-in-andhra-and-orissa

{{NewsItem
|date=2016-07-27
|category=Report
|title=Psychedelic 'Idukki Gold', made in Andhra & Orissa
|summary=Onmanorama investigated the migration of cannabis cultivation from Kerala's Idukki hills to the Andhra-Odisha border. Idukki cannabis contained up to 8% THC compared to under 5% in AOB varieties. As Excise crackdowns and receding forests decimated Idukki plantations — only two detected in 15 years, totalling 375 plants — Kerala cultivators "exported" Idukki genetics to inaccessible forests in Odisha for large-scale cultivation, producing inferior-quality cannabis that was smuggled back and repackaged as 'Idukki Gold' for premium pricing. The AOB production zone spans 149 villages across Paderu, Puttu, Madugula, Peda Bayalu, Chintapalli, G.K. Veedhi, Hukumpeta, Ananthagiri, and Koyyuru in Visakhapatnam district — tribal areas under Maoist control where excise officers cannot enter without paramilitary support. Cultivation density reaches 5,000 plants per acre yielding 250–300g per plant. Plantations range from 5,000 to 50,000 acres. Pricing chain: Rs. 1,500/kg in Odisha at harvest; Rs. 30,000–35,000/kg in Kerala cities; premium markup when sold as 'Idukki Gold.' The AOB variety 'Seelavathi' is described as a hybrid of the original Idukki variety. At least 57 Keralites, mostly from Idukki, were jailed in Visakhapatnam for smuggling. Vizag had also emerged as a major hashish oil production centre.
|source=https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/ganja-trail-idukki-gold-andhra-orissa.html
|country=India
|admin1=Andhra Pradesh
|admin2=Visakhapatnam District
}}