Opium poppy field in Afghanistan. Photo: IRIN
A new report is warning against implications of record opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, saying it has caused rise in illegal drug trafficking, fueled militancy and political instability.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report says spike in opium cultivation has led to unprecedented levels of potential heroin on the world market.
Opium cultivation increased by 63 per cent; from 201,000 hectares in 2016 to an estimated 328,000 hectares in 2017, and it would be possible to produce between 550 and 900 tons of export-quality heroin from the poppies harvested throughout the country during 2017.
The situation is creating a spate of multiple challenges for the landlocked country and its neighbors, as opiate-based illegal drugs make their way across the Afghan border.
“Poppy production and illicit trafficking of opiates also fuel political instability, and increase funding to terrorist groups in Afghanistan who profit from the trade,” the report says according to UNODC.
Additionally, record cultivation resulted in a rapid expansion of the illegal economy in 2017.
“Being worth between $4.1 billion to $6.6 billion in 2017 – or 20 and 32 percent of gross domestic product – the value of the opiate-based economy exceeded by far, the value of Afghanistan’s legal exports of goods and services during 2016.”
The report notes that “opium poppy production has become so ingrained in the livelihood of many Afghans, that it is often the main source of income for not only farmers, but also many local and migrant workers hired as day-laborers on farms.”
In 2017, opium poppy weeding and harvesting provided the equivalent of up to 354,000 full-time jobs to rural areas.
“Addressing the opiate problem in Afghanistan remains a shared responsibility. Reducing production, requires an international approach that targets the supply chain of opiates at every stage; from source to destination.”
