Posted on 2-12-2003
Afghan
Poppy Crop Leaping
Reuters, 28 November 2003
WASHINGTON Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan doubled between
2002 and 2003 to a level 36 times higher than in the last year
of rule by the Taliban, according to White House figures released
Friday.
The area planted with poppies, used to make heroin and
morphine, was 152,000 acres (61,000 hectares) in 2003, compared
with 76,900 acres (30,700 hectares) in 2002 and 4,210 acres
(1,685 hectares) in 2001, the White House Office of National
Drug Control Policy said in a statement.
The Taliban was cracking down on poppy production in
the year before the U.S. military drove the movement out of
office in late 2001 in response to its friendship and cooperation
with the al-Qaida organization of Osama bin Laden.
WARLORDS CONTROL MANY AREAS
The new Afghan government, led by President Hamid Karzai,
has not been able to impose its will in many areas of the country,
which remain under the control of warlords.
The White House statement said, A challenging security
situation ... has complicated significantly the task of implementing
counternarcotics assistance programs and will continue to do
so for the immediate future.
Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is a major and growing
problem. Drug cultivation and trafficking are undermining the
rule of law and putting money in the pocket of terrorists,it
added, quoting office director John Walters.
The U.S. figures differ significantly from those released
a month ago by the United Nations, which estimated that poppy
cultivation rose 8 percent in 2003, to 200,000 acres (80,000
hectares) from 185,000 (74,000 hectares) in 2002.
DIFFERING U.S., U.N. METHODS
The White House said the United Nations used a different
method, based on a mixture of ground surveys and analysis of
imagery from commercial satellites.
The U.S. estimates are based on a sample survey of Afghan
agricultural regions conducted with specialized U.S. government
satellite imaging systems, it added.
The United States and the United Nations also gave different
estimates for Afghanistans opium production in 2003. The United
Nations said it would rise 6 percent to 3,600 metric tons, while
the White House said 2003 output would be 2,865 metric tons.
The United States did not give a 2002 figure.
Opium production complicates the task of restoring central
government authority in Afghanistan because it enables the warlords
to run small armies and gives them an extra financial incentive
to retain their autonomy.
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