Afghanistan is by a long way still the world’s largest opium producer, accounting for some 70 percent (3,300 tons) of global opium production, according to the United Nations World Drug Report of 2016.
Myanmar is the second largest producer of the drug at 14 per cent (650 tons) of global production.
According to the UN report, the total value of the illicit opiate economy in Afghanistan was $2.8 billion USD in 2014 — equivalent to 13 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics (MoCN) said the income from illegal drugs business in the country is at $70 billion USD annually, but down by nearly $9 billion.
“A limited budget and not enough facilities are among the main problems in our campaigns against the illicit production of drugs. Our budget is insufficient. It is claimed the United States has so far spend $8.5 billion USD to combat the drugs trade. We want an explanation about the process through which the money was spend to fight drugs trade,” said MoCN spokesman Mohammad Hanif Danishyar.
He added: “We are not satisfied with the result of the campaign and neither are the American people.”
Danishyar said primary figures reveal that poppy is being cultivated in 20 provinces of Afghanistan.
According to the ministry, Helmand, Farah, Uruzgan, Nangarhar, Badakhshan, Badghis and Nimroz provinces are among the provinces with the highest poppy cultivation.
Badakhshan lawmaker Safiullah Muslim said he is concerned about the current high levels of poppy cultivation in the country, because, as in Badakhshan, the money from drugs goes directly into the pockets of militants.
“Poppy is cultivated in Tashkan, Darayem, Argo among other districts of Badakhshan. We have always urged government to prevent the illegal drugs business but it has not paid the required attention to this state of affairs so far,” he added.
The MoCN said the government has arrested nearly 70 drug traffickers this year and has seized their drugs. Despite that, the Afghan government, particularly the judicial organs, are being criticized for not arresting the main drug lords.
According to the UN annual report, focus group discussions were held in 2015 for the first time. These workshops included women in four of the northern provinces in order to learn more about their attitudes to, and participation in poppy cultivation and production.
The discussions revealed that women in Afghanistan took part in many of the labor-intensive processes in opium poppy production. This included the weeding and clearing of fields, as well as lancing of the poppy buds. They were also involved in indoor operations breaking opium poppy capsules, removing and cleaning seeds, preparing opium gum for sale and processing by-products such as oil and soap.
In most rural communities in Afghanistan, women were less empowered than men and had only a limited role in decision-making. Decisions about opium poppy cultivation were therefor mainly taken by men, although it appeared that women were increasingly being consulted about decisions to cultivate opium poppy.
In the absence of access to adequate health-care facilities in rural areas, opium had been used for generations by women in northern Afghanistan as a remedy for the most common ailments among children, such as coughs, colic, aches and pains, restlessness and diarrhea.
The UN report indicates that at the country level, Iran reported the largest opiate seizures worldwide in 2014, accounting for 75 percent of global opium seizures, 61 percent of global morphine seizures and 17 percent of global heroin seizures.
The next largest heroin seizures were reported by Turkey (accounting for 16 percent of global heroin seizures), China (12 percent), Pakistan (9 percent), Kenya (7 percent), the United States (7 percent), Afghanistan (5 percent) and the Russian Federation (3 percent).
Seizures involving Afghan opiates account for some 80 percent of global seizures of opiates, the report says.http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/25975-afghanistan-still-worlds-largest-opium-producer-by-far
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