Press: Czech Republic world's leading producer of poppy seed

The Czech Republic is, in terms of hectares sown, the world's largest producer of poppy seed, Mlada fronta Dnes reported. It was also the biggest producer in 2006, the paper said. The area planted with poppy has increased from around 10,000 hectares in the 1990s to seven times that today. The rise is attributed to higher wholesale prices for poppy seed and favourable climactic conditions.