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| Afghanistan |
| UN sees further drop in Afghan opium production |
| 2010-02-13 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Opium production in Afghanistan, the world's largest producer, will continue to fall this year thanks to poor weather, the U.N. office on drugs and crime predicted. "There is a good chance that Afghanistan will produce less opium this year," UNODC chief Antonio Maria Costa said in a statement. Last year, Afghan farmers produced some 56 kilograms (124 pounds) per hectare of opium bulbs, which are used to make heroin. But bad weather was likely to reduce that figure and thus the quantity of opium produced this year, the Vienna-based UNODC said in a new report published this week. This would continue the drop in Afghan opium production, which already fallen from 8,200 tons in 2007 to 6,900 tons in 2009, the U.N. office noted. The area dedicated to opium cultivation, however, was expected to remain stable after decreasing by 36 percent, from a record 193,000 hectares in 2007 to 123,000 last year. And a reversal in opium prices, which are starting to increase again after staying low for two years, could persuade farmers to pick up cultivation again, the UNODC warned. In a country still troubled by a Taliban-led insurgency, security played an important role in farmers' thinking: "Almost 80 percent of villages with very poor security conditions grew poppy, while opium only grows in seven percent of villages unaffected by violence," the report said. Where governance was most effective, Afghan farmers also seemed less willing to defy a ban on poppy cultivation, unlike in south-west Afghanistan, where the central government has less power. "The message is clear: in order to further reduce the biggest source of the world's deadliest drug, there must be better security, development and governance in Afghanistan," said Costa. "The Afghan authorities must lead and own their drug control strategy: the rest of the world has a vested interest in its success." One of the main concerns now was to root out poppy cultivation in eight "swing" provinces where production was "negligible", the UNODC chief said. "With appropriate local community-inspired measures, such as shura-driven (tribal council) campaigns, governor-led eradication and development assistance, three quarters of the country (25 out of 34 provinces) could become poppy-free in the near future," Costa predicted. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 It's all Bush's fault. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-02-13 07:32 |