Northeastern India Cannabis Survey 2025 - Field Report #2 Haldibari, Mekliganj & Tin Bigha
- Éloïse
- Jun 16
- 8 min read
Updated: Jul 7
We’re currently working through the North Bengal lowlands sector of this year’s Northeast India survey. Our present survey zone spans the western floodplain districts, beginning in Jalpaiguri and extending south into Cooch Behar District along the Bangladesh border.
This sector forms part of the wider Teesta River floodplain system: a flat, alluvial landscape shaped by the historical migration of the Teesta and its tributaries. The region is densely populated, with intensive smallholder agriculture subdividing the land into narrow, overlapping parcels. Rice, jute, mustard, vegetables, and homestead agroforestry dominate the agricultural matrix, while tea estates are scattered throughout.
Today's survey crosses from Jalpaiguri’s southwestern margins into Cooch Behar District, with our focus concentrated in Mekliganj Subdivision, located in the far western extent of Cooch Behar, directly adjacent to the Bangladesh frontier.
Cannabis is embedded into the local landscape here at various scales:
Feral Populations
Urban: Isolated individuals growing in vacant lots, drainage ditches, and roadside verges.
Semi-Urban: Scattered feral stands along canal embankments, municipal boundaries, and neglected parcels.
Rural: Larger unmanaged stands persisting along field margins, embankments, and forest edges.
Domesticate Landrace Populations
Urban: Plants grown discreetly within private compounds or in hidden areas outdoors.
Semi-Urban: Plants grown in and around village edges, especially in transitional or liminal zones.
Smallholder Household Gardens: Small plots intercropped with food crops in household gardens.
Rural: Low-density field edge plots maintained by farmers, often positioned for plausible deniability.
Hidden Commercial: Discrete plantings supplying the domestic black market, grown at small scale but with commercial intent.
Cultivation reflects a dynamic balance between modern market demand, regional cannabis culture, traditional landrace selection, subsistence household use and persistent enforcement pressure. The result is a highly fragmented but resilient cultivation ecology that remains decentralised and adaptive.
Haldibari
We began in the Haldibari subdivision, situated at the southwestern edge of Jalpaiguri District. The area lies along west of the Teesta river, with settlement densities ranging from compact village clusters to more dispersed household compounds surrounded by agricultural plots.
Land use here remains intensive: paddy fields dominate, interspersed with mustard, vegetables, and homestead gardens, leaving limited undeveloped land. In this context, unmanaged feral cannabis populations are primarily restricted to liminal spaces - abandoned municipal lots, roadside drainage corridors, canal embankments and field edges.
The largest feral population encountered during this phase was located within an abandoned lot on the outskirts of Haldibari town proper. The site contained an estimated 400–500 individual cannabis plants, representing an established self-seeding stand. This population likely reflects multiple seasons of unmanaged reproductive cycling under full environmental exposure.
Within this population, two female individuals displayed superior structural and agronomic traits relative to the broader stand. Both exhibited vigour, strong lateral branching and moderate resin production under unmanaged conditions. Notably, both plants were free of visible fungal or insect pressure at time of collection.
Seed collections were made from these two individuals, forming the initial feral accessions of this lowlands sector:
Haldibari Feral Accession #1
Genetics: North Bengal-Koch Behar Feral
Type: Point of Origin, Open Pollinated
Style: Feral
Sourcing: Éloïse, Iza (2025)
Village(s): Haldibari
District: Jalpaiguri
Province: West Bengal
Area: Teesta River Floodplain
Region: North Bengal
Appellation: Koch Behar
Country: India
Haldibari Feral Accession #2
Genetics : North Bengal-Koch Behar Feral
Type: Point of Origin, Open Pollinated
Style: Feral
Sourcing: Éloïse, Iza (2025)
Village(s): Haldibari
District: Jalpaiguri
Province: West Bengal
Area: Teesta River Floodplain
Region: North Bengal
Appellation: Koch Behar
Country: India
Cultivation Details:
Regional Planting: Self seeding
Regional Harvest: June through October
Height: 1-3m
Classification: Feral population
Smaller fragmented feral patches of dozens to hundreds of plants were identified along embankments, roadside drainage and neglected municipal plots inside and near town. While smaller and more dispersed, most of these still appear to be viable populations with active self-seeding.
Mekliganj
Following completion of collections in Haldibari, the survey advanced westward into Cooch Behar District, entering Mekliganj Subdivision. This administrative unit forms the far western extent of Cooch Behar, directly abutting the Bangladesh frontier, with jurisdiction over several enclaves, border sectors, and sensitive cross-border zones.
Upon entry into Mekliganj town proper, our vehicle was stopped for routine inspection at a local police checkpoint situated near the primary Teesta River bridge crossing. The interaction was brief but thorough, reflecting standard security protocols in proximity to the international border.
Within Mekliganj town itself, no significant domesticate or feral cannabis populations were observed. Preliminary assessment suggests that active cultivation is largely absent from the urban centre. Based on both field observation and regional enforcement reporting, Mekliganj presently functions more as an administrative and logistical node, rather than an active cultivation zone. Cannabis activity appears to have shifted outward into smaller villages and rural blocks where surveillance is lower, population density thins slightly and enforcement pressure becomes more diffuse.
Scattered roadside feral individuals were documented on the periphery of town, primarily restricted to marginal habitats such as drainage channels, canal embankments, and degraded roadside verges. These individuals were typically stunted, physiologically stressed, and of limited interest. No accessions were made.
Fulkardabri
From Mekliganj, we proceeded south toward the Fulkardabri sector, situated along the Bangladesh frontier. Settlement density here transitions into a dispersed village structure: smallholder compounds surrounded by multi-crop subsistence plots, narrow access roads, and tea estate boundaries defining much of the physical landscape. Proximity to the international boundary introduces an additional layer of enforcement sensitivity.
The first clear domesticate cannabis population of this phase was identified at the margin of a tea plantation. A discrete planting of beautiful, vigorous, tall and bushy cannabis was observed growing directly along a property demarcation boundary, positioned in a manner that could be plausibly framed as accidental or spontaneous in the event of enforcement scrutiny.
Plant Height: 4–5 meters.
Growth Stage: Vegetative, no visible flowering at time of survey.
Structural Traits: Thick stems 6-7cm diameter, narrow leaf morphology, high lateral branching.
Resilience: One specimen had fallen over but continued to grow horizontally with sustained vigour. Another had a damaged main stalk but similarly, was growing just fine.
These plants were intentionally planted, though positioned in a way that could be explained as accidental self-seeding if challenged by enforcement authorities. The visual health and uniformity of these individuals belies deliberate selection and maintenance.
We initiated contact with the farmer responsible for this planting. He invited us to his home located in a nearby cluster of houses where we observed additional scattered domesticate plants growing within household garden plots and around margins. While the villagers were welcoming, they were visibly cautious about photography and video. We respected these wishes, limiting photography in favour of talking with the farmer and accessing seeds.
From this grower, we obtained our first accession of domesticate landrace seeds from the Fulkardabri sector.
Fulkardabri Domesticate Landrace Accession #1
Genetics: North Bengal-Koch Behar Domesticate Landrace
Type: Point of Origin, Open Pollinated
Style: Ganja (gãja)
Farmer: (pseudonym: Raja)
Sourcing: Éloïse, Iza (2025)
Village(s): Fulkardabri
District: Cooch Behar
Province: West Bengal
Area: Teesta River Floodplain
Region: North Bengal
Appellation: Koch Behar
Country: India
Cultivation Details:
Regional Planting: February-May
Regional Harvest: December-January
Height: 3-6m
Classification: Narrow leaf drug-type Domesticate landrace population
We also arranged to return later in the year to obtain mature flowers for further seed extraction.
Later in the afternoon, while continuing roadside survey, we located another discrete cultivation site. Large cannabis plants were positioned around a residential courtyard. After calling out for attention, the homeowner emerged and agreed to speak with us, under strict limits for photography to avoid identifying his house. We'll call them 'Sujan'.
Inside, Sujan generously shared different qualities of locally harvested cannabis for us to sample and document.
Quality #1 Local Ganja - Strongest effect, light green, sweet smelling, from light green coloured plants.
Quality #2 Local Ganja - Milder effects, darker coloured, earthy smelling. From plants with subtle purple colours.
Quality #3 Manipuri - Sourced on black market - grower expressed distaste for these flowers, apparently bought out of curiosity but he didn't like them compared to his home-grown.
During extended conversation it became clear that he was very knowledgable, a Brahmin with long experience farming in this area. He and his wife shared with us shared various seeds, including cannabis, vegetables, fruit crops and local mustard varieties.
We made our second domesticate landrace accession of the day:
Fulkardabri Domesticate Landrace Accession #2
Genetics: North Bengal-Koch Behar Domesticate Landrace
Type: Point of Origin, Open Pollinated
Style: Ganja (gãja)
Farmer: (pseudonym: Sujan)
Sourcing: Éloïse, Iza (2025)
Village(s): Fulkardabri
District: Cooch Behar
Province: West Bengal
Area: Teesta River Floodplain
Region: North Bengal
Appellation: Koch Behar
Country: India
Cultivation Details:
Regional Planting: February-May
Regional Harvest: December-January
Height: 3-5m
Classification: Narrow leaf drug-type Domesticate landrace population
Notes: Two described phenotypes, Green and Purple.
Sujan took us around his garden and briefly explained that secrecy and avoiding police were the main concerns shaping a lot of his decisions when it came to planting, training and timing of harvest.
We subsequently returned inside and conducted a short interview, which will be released at a later date. During the discussion, the grower described instances of nearby cultivators experimenting with hybrid seed stock, including material sourced from other parts of India. However, he emphasised that such introductions were generally viewed with scepticism by many local farmers. Cited reasons for continued reliance on local domesticate landraces included: consistent performance under regional conditions, reduced susceptibility to disease and climatic stress, perceived superiority of psychoactive effect and a strong cultural and sentimental attachment to locally maintained seed lines. Concerns over dilution of local genetic integrity were also expressed.
After more than two hours of sampling various local flowers, talking and sharing information, cultivation details, we decided to make our moves to the next area.
We proceeded toward the Tin Bigha Corridor, observing several additional feral individuals and one small courtyard garden containing domesticate plants. We were unable to obtain permission to document these plants unfortunately though we did note that they were exceptionally healthy and vigorous.
Tin Bigha
Tin Bigha Corridor: a narrow, politically sensitive strip of Indian territory linking the Bangladeshi enclave of Dahagram–Angarpota to mainland Bangladesh.
The corridor itself measures approximately 178 meters in length and 85 meters in width, forming one of the most well-known remaining geopolitical anomalies along the India-Bangladesh border. Its present administrative status is the outcome of a series of bilateral negotiations spanning several decades, aimed at resolving historical anomalies inherited from overlapping Mughal, Koch Behar, and British-era landholding structures, further complicated during the 1947 Partition. Under current agreements, India maintains full sovereignty over the corridor while providing Bangladesh with 24-hour unrestricted civilian access to Dahagram–Angarpota for its enclave residents.
Kuchlibari Sector
After Tin Bigha, we proceeded south into Kuchlibari sector, located directly adjacent to both the Tin Bigha Corridor and the Bangladesh border. The area is composed of dispersed agricultural settlements interspersed with homestead plots, narrow access roads, and intensively managed subsistence fields dominated by rice, jute, mustard, and vegetable production. As with prior sectors, cannabis cultivation here where present operates under conditions of heightened enforcement sensitivity due to the proximity of the international boundary.
Driving through Kuchlibari and surrounding hamlets, no domesticate or feral cannabis populations were identified.
Informal discussions with local residents suggested that while cultivation may occur episodically on a highly restricted household scale, active production remains limited and highly concealed in this immediate zone, largely due to the risk of bringing cannabis across the series of checkpoints around Tin Bigha, precluding larger scale commercial grows and the enhanced scrutiny in this area limiting smaller plantings.
By mid-afternoon, the onset of monsoonal rains halted further fieldwork for the day. The team returned to Jalpaiguri to consolidate collections, record accession data, and complete field documentation for the sector.
Conclusion
This phase of the survey gave us an important first set of accessions from the Bengal lowlands.
In total, we collected two feral accessions from the Haldibari population and two domesticate landrace accessions from separate growers in Fulkardabri. These accessions now enter the Zomia archive under the North Bengal-Koch Behar Landrace Gene-pool, forming part of the broader mapping and preservation work we’re carrying out across the Northeast.
Our survey here confirm that regional domesticate landrace cultivation systems are alive, decentralised and highly adaptive. Given the continued, repeated eradication campaigns in Mekliganj Subdivision and the appearance of non-native germplasm, we conclude that this area is 'At Risk' of extinction by hybridisation, especially in the context of reduced planting sizes and law enforment pressure.
We'll return later in the season to follow up on some of these growers, complete flowering stage collections and expand the accession pool further.
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