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Poppy Cultivation Drops by 19 % This Year
The ministry of Counter Narcotics announced that the drug production has 48 percent decrease this year which follows with the arrest of 3,000 suspects in counter narcotics.
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) says opium is the main source of terrorism war in Afghanistan and the big trafficking gangs enter to Afghanistan from Pakistan.
The Taliban, which have been waging war against the Afghan government since 2001, are heavily involved in poppy cultivation and opium distribution.
Billions of dollars have been spent on counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan in the past decade, including programs encouraging farmers to switch to other cash crops like wheat, fruit and saffron.
The southern region has the country’s largest share of national opium production with 58 percent recorded, which equals some 1,900 metric tons (MT). Afghanistan’s second most important opium producing region is in the west, responsible for 22 percent of national production (720 MT), followed by the eastern region with 13 percent (450 MT). The remaining areas (north-eastern, northern and central regions) together account for less than eight percent of opium production.
In terms of eradication, efforts across the country led by the various provincial governments increased a collective 40 percent, compared to last year, or from around 2,700 ha to 3,760 ha.
During the latest eradication campaign, there were less casualties reported than the previous year: in 2015, five lives were lost and 18 persons were injured compared to 2014, when 13 lives were lost and 26 persons injured.