Afghan poppy crops at record high, second year running

12 Nov 2014

Afghan poppy crops at record high, second year running

KABUL - Afghanistan registered record levels of opium poppy cultivation this year, with the illicit crop being cultivated in an estimated 224,000 hectares of land, according to a United Nations-backed survey released in the Afghan capital, Kabul, today.

Findings from the ‘Afghanistan Opium Survey 2014,’ implemented by the Afghan Ministry of Counter-Narcotics in collaboration with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), indicated a seven per cent increase in the total land area used by poppy growers, as compared to last year.

The increase follows the record highs detailed in the previous year’s report, when cultivation rose by 36 per cent (209,000 hectares) and production by almost one half since 2012. Correspondingly, government activities designed to reduce or eliminate opium production resulted in a decrease by more than 60 per cent, to about 2,700 hectares. 

Commenting on the findings, the Executive Director of UNODC, Yury Fedotov, said that Afghanistan's narcotics problem remained a global challenge and shared responsibility.

"We cannot afford to see the long-term stability of Afghanistan — and the wider region — derailed by the threat of opiates,” said Mr. Fedotov. “What is needed is greater resolve toward addressing narcotics in a serious and tangible manner within the economic, development and security agendas."

The survey identified a clear link between insecurity and the rise in the opium cultivation, with the vast majority (89 per cent) of the opium cultivation taking place in nine Afghan provinces in the southern and western regions, the most insecure in the country.

The report predicts that the surge in cultivation and decrease in eradication may trigger an increase in production by 17 per cent, with yields estimated to reach 6,400 tons in 2014 compared to the previous year's total of 5,500 tons.

According to the UN agency, Afghanistan produces some 90 per cent of the world's illicit opiates, with the number of poppy-free provinces being 15 out of 34.

Earlier this year, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior said the government has a plan to reduce poppy cultivation and opium production by 50 per cent during the next five years and gradually make the country poppy-free in the next decade.

Speaking at press conference in Kabul, the UNODC’s Regional Representative for Afghanistan and Neighbouring Countries, Andrey Avetisyan, called the figures alarming.

“I am sure that everybody understands already that without tackling the problem of drugs seriously, no serious economic achievement is possible,” said Mr. Avetisyan, who called for adopting a new counter-narcotics approach that is comprehensive and will combine counter-narcotics measures with wider economic development in Afghanistan.

“What is needed is political will and readiness of the government and the people, and serious counter-narcotics measures as a part of wider economic development,” he added.

Referring to a meeting last week between the UNODC’s Fedotov and President Ashraf Ghani, Mr. Avetisyan noted that the new Afghan leadership “understands very well that illicit economy, including drugs, is a very serious threat to the plans the new government has concerning economic development of Afghanistan.”

Echoing the views of UNODC’s Avetisyan, the Afghan Minister for Counter-Narcotics, Deen Mohammad Mobariz Rashidi, said at the Kabul press conference that there is a need of “strong political commitment.”

“The issue of counter-narcotics should be at the top of the national agenda, alongside the issues of counter-terrorism,” he said. “All the countries should have a role in funding the counter-narcotics efforts of Afghanistan.”

Related articles:

- Afghanistan registers increase in opium poppy cultivation for third consecutive year – UN report

- UN study finds ‘sharp increase’ in opiate consumption in Afghanistan
 
- Afghanistan plans to become poppy-free in a decade, seeks continued donor support

- Afghan authorities expand award scheme for poppy-free provinces

- Growing drug consumption in Afghanistan is a ‘national tragedy’ – UN drug and crime agency chief

- Joint UN-Government survey finds opium poppy cultivation at record levels in Afghanistan