Accounting for 92 per cent of global opium production
Sunday, 2 September 2007
Aunohita Mojumdar THIS year's opium harvest in Afghanistan is projected to reach a record high, up 34 per cent on 2006, with Helmand province 'single-handedly' becoming the world's largest source of illicit drugs, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said recently.
Better yields have combined with a 17 per cent increase in land under cultivation to undermine poppy eradication efforts and produce a record harvest of 8,200 tonnes. With the increase in opium production, Afghanistan now accounts for 92 per cent of global production. The area of opium cultivation in Afghanistan is more than the combined total coca cultivation area in Latin America, the UNODC stated.
Most of the increased production is concentrated in unstable southern provinces that together account for 80 per cent of cultivation. The largest increase has been in the volatile province of Helmand, where British troops are fighting a tough battle against the insurgency. The number of northern and central provinces free of opium more than doubled, from six to 13. In Balkh, a northern province bordering Uzbekistan, opium cultivation has been brought down to zero from 7,200 hectares last year.
Referring to divergent trends in the north and south, Antonio Maria Costa, UNODC executive director, said poverty could not be used as an excuse since the south had some of the most fertile land, and provinces in the centre and north, where per capita income is half that of the south, are opium-free.
The UNODC chief said poppy-growing was linked to insecurity and inversely related to the degree of government control. He has called for higher rewards for non-opium farmers and warned that delay in disbursing assistance could lead to opium-free provinces sliding back to poppy cultivation. Calling for greater deterrents to dissuade farmers from planting poppies, he called for an end to current practices that enable rich landlords to evade eradication.
The total area under opium cultivation increased from 165,000 ha to 193,000 ha, with Helmand alone accounting for 102,770 ha, an increase of 48 per cent over last year. The UNODC said Helmand, with a population of just 2.5m, had "single-handedly become the world's largest source of illicit drugs" surpassing entire countries such as Colombia, Morocco and Burma.
The UNODC called for Nato to extend more active support to counter-narcotics operations. Nato-led ISAF forces are not involved in eradication. Troops in Helmand were earlier accused of sending out wrong signals to poppy farmers by saying they were not in the business of eradication.
British officials based in Kabul refused to comment on the projected bumper crop in Helmand. ISAF officials stated that they were not directly involved in eradicating opium.
Mr Costa called on Nato to extend more active support to anti-narcotic operations. He said would take up the issue during the meeting of the Nato Council in Brussels on September 5.
Mr Costa also urged Afghanistan's government to submit the names of known traffickers to the UN Security Council for inclusion alongside al-Qaeda and Taliban members on a list of individuals who are barred from travelling, have their assets seized and face extradition.
........................................................................
Under syndication arrangement with FE
Better yields have combined with a 17 per cent increase in land under cultivation to undermine poppy eradication efforts and produce a record harvest of 8,200 tonnes. With the increase in opium production, Afghanistan now accounts for 92 per cent of global production. The area of opium cultivation in Afghanistan is more than the combined total coca cultivation area in Latin America, the UNODC stated.
Most of the increased production is concentrated in unstable southern provinces that together account for 80 per cent of cultivation. The largest increase has been in the volatile province of Helmand, where British troops are fighting a tough battle against the insurgency. The number of northern and central provinces free of opium more than doubled, from six to 13. In Balkh, a northern province bordering Uzbekistan, opium cultivation has been brought down to zero from 7,200 hectares last year.
Referring to divergent trends in the north and south, Antonio Maria Costa, UNODC executive director, said poverty could not be used as an excuse since the south had some of the most fertile land, and provinces in the centre and north, where per capita income is half that of the south, are opium-free.
The UNODC chief said poppy-growing was linked to insecurity and inversely related to the degree of government control. He has called for higher rewards for non-opium farmers and warned that delay in disbursing assistance could lead to opium-free provinces sliding back to poppy cultivation. Calling for greater deterrents to dissuade farmers from planting poppies, he called for an end to current practices that enable rich landlords to evade eradication.
The total area under opium cultivation increased from 165,000 ha to 193,000 ha, with Helmand alone accounting for 102,770 ha, an increase of 48 per cent over last year. The UNODC said Helmand, with a population of just 2.5m, had "single-handedly become the world's largest source of illicit drugs" surpassing entire countries such as Colombia, Morocco and Burma.
The UNODC called for Nato to extend more active support to counter-narcotics operations. Nato-led ISAF forces are not involved in eradication. Troops in Helmand were earlier accused of sending out wrong signals to poppy farmers by saying they were not in the business of eradication.
British officials based in Kabul refused to comment on the projected bumper crop in Helmand. ISAF officials stated that they were not directly involved in eradicating opium.
Mr Costa called on Nato to extend more active support to anti-narcotic operations. He said would take up the issue during the meeting of the Nato Council in Brussels on September 5.
Mr Costa also urged Afghanistan's government to submit the names of known traffickers to the UN Security Council for inclusion alongside al-Qaeda and Taliban members on a list of individuals who are barred from travelling, have their assets seized and face extradition.
........................................................................
Under syndication arrangement with FE