Afghan popppy cultivation

Afghan poppy cultivation to increase in north, UN says


Apr 18, 2011, 10:22 GMT


Kabul - There will be a rise in the cultivation of opium in parts of Afghanistan, including previously poppy-free provinces, the United Nations said Monday.

'A strong increase in cultivation is expected in north and north-eastern regions, namely in Badakshan, Baghlan and Faryab provinces,' the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said. 'Some parts of southern and western regions will also experience a significant increase.'

But Afghanistan will see a slight total decrease in poppy cultivation in 2011, the UN said, releasing their bi-monthly Opium Rapid Assessment Survey.

Despite high prices for opium, overall cultivation is expected to decrease slightly due to a fall in the main producing provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, the UN said.

'This is only an indicator and government policy can stimulate further decline,' said Jean-Luc Lemahieu, head of UNODC in Afghanistan, during the release of the survey.

Helmand has shown a declining trend over the last three years, with a decrease in production land from 103,590 hectares in 2008 to 65,045 hectares in 2010, the statement said.

NATO and Afghan forces have been pushing the Taliban from the areas around Kandahar and Helmand in the south since 2010, making 'some fragile and reversible gains.'

In the south a direct correlation between insecurity, lack of agricultural aid and poppy cultivation could be established, the statement said, adding some 90 per cent of the villages in the south with poor security are involved in poppy cultivation.

The increase in poppy cultivation in the relatively safe northern villages gives 'reason for concern,' UN said.

The survey also found that the 'high sales price of opium' was the driving force behind poppy cultivation in 2011. The dry and fresh opium prices, increased between February 2010 and February 2011, by 306 per cent and 251 per cent, respectively, it said.

Afghanistan is the world's biggest opium-producing country with a global share of 77 per cent. At least 1.7 million farmers are directly engaged in the cultivation of poppies.

According to Afghan, US and United Nations officials, the drugs trade has been the financial lifeline of Taliban insurgents who have been waging an insurgency since 2001.