Makovina jako staronová komodita v České republice
Poppy straw as an „old-new“ commodity in the Czech Republic

Summary/Abstract: Poppy straw, a by-product of Papaver somniferum L. cultivation, has historically served in former Czechoslovakia/The Czech Republic as a raw material for the industrial isolation of opium alkaloids. This paper defines poppy straw from an agronomic and processing perspective, summarises determinants of its alkaloid profile (cultivar, developmental stage and harvest technology parameters), and reports indicative yield and farm-gate economics from periods when the commodity had a stable pharmaceutical outlet. Using data from national supervision (ÚKZÚZ), foreign trade statistics (Czech Statistical Office) and international reporting (INCB/UNODC), the article characterises the post-2016 shift in poppy-straw handling, marked by the discontinuation of regular pharmaceutical utilisation of Czech poppy straw. It further documents recent, low-volume import and export transactions and discusses their interpretation with respect to price patterns and the likely end-use of the traded material. The conclusion highlights that renewed interest in Czech poppy straw may be driven by the alkaloid profile typical of domestic food cultivars (morphine/codeine dominance with low thebaine and oripavine), supporting the need for systematic monitoring of flows and intended use.

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