Local officials in Nangarhar said Wednesday that most farmers in the eastern province have resumed poppy cultivation in their areas, accusing government of focusing on security issues rather than assisting them in agriculture.
“Poppies have been cultivated in 12 districts in Nangarhar over the past year. We are trying to stop the trend with the help of the people and the farmers,” said provincial counter-narcotics director Edris Sapai.
Meanwhile, Nangarhar police said they will try to find an alternative for poppy cultivation in the province and that they will encourage farmers to avoid the illegal practice.
“We have some plans for counter-narcotics campaign and we want to eliminate poppy cultivation in Nangarhar in the near future,” said Nangarhar Police Chief Fazl Ahmad Shirzad.
Farmers meanwhile said government’s inattention towards them and a lack of market opportunities for their products have pushed them to cultivate poppies on their land.
“Government promised us years ago to distribute fertilizers and fertilized seeds for us. Also it vowed to support the market for our products, but none of the promises were fulfilled. This is why most of the farmers started poppy cultivation [in Nangarhar],” said Gulpadshah, a farmer in Nangarhar.
This comes after Nangarhar was listed as a non- poppy cultivation province last year.http://www.tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/23606-poppy-cultivation-increases-in-nangarhar-officials
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