Before harvesting, the clearing and planting phase comes first. Land must be cleared of brush, vines, and trees, a task usually done during March. Men, women, and children all participate in this activity. Once the flora (field) is fairly dry, usually at the end of the dry season, it is left on the ground for several days to dehydrate before it is set on fire.

In August or September, toward the end of the monsoon season, the field is prepared for planting. First, farmers break up the soil reducing it to a fine texture. The farmers then toss the seeds by hand into the soil making sure that both get mixed together thoroughly.

In late December to early February, the poppy is ready to harvest. At this time, the poppy has grown to an average of four feet tall. The harvest work is done by men, women, and children. This is an exciting time for the farmers. Scoring (slitting) the bulbs is done late in the day so that the resin continues to ooze from the bulbs overnight. The white juice coagulates and turns brown after exposure to air and some types of opium appear black.

The resin is harvested by scraping a bladed instrument (a splinter of bamboo, a flat piece of metal, a blade, a broken glass or pottery shard) along the incisions made the previous day. The harvester then scrapes the resin from the bladed instrument into a container. The opium is now referred to as raw opium. Raw opium is marketed as lumps, cakes, or bricks that may be powdered or further treated. The cultivation of opium, both licit and illicit, is carried on chiefly in Asia while the two major opium-producing and opium-exporting countries in the world are in Burma and Afghanistan.