Opium cultivation in Afghanistan down by a fifth
Source: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Released today, UNODC’s Afghanistan Opium Survey 2008 shows a 19% decrease in opium cultivation to 157,000 hectares, compared to the record harvest of 193,000 in 2007. Owing to a higher yield of 48.8 kg/ha (up from 42.5 kg in 2007), opium production has dropped less dramatically, down 6% from 8,200 to 7,700.

According to the report, the number of opium-free provinces has increased by almost 50% since last year, from 13 to 18. Indeed, 98% of the opium is grown in just seven provinces in the south-west (Hilmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Farah, Nimroz, and to a lesser extent Daykundi and Zabul), where there are permanent Taliban settlements and organized crime groups profit from insecurity.

The distinct geographical overlap between regions of opium production and zones of insurgency shows the inextricable link between drugs and conflict.

The report attributes the decrease in cultivation to good local leadership assisted by bad weather.

+ Full Report (PDF; 2.1 MB)
+ Map (PDF; 681 KB)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 at 8:09 pm and is filed under Afghanistan, Crime, Mental health and substance abuse. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.