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Rise by 61%
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    Opium production in Afghanistan rose by 61% this year compared with 2010, according to a UN report.

    The increase has been attributed to rising opium prices that have driven farmers to expand cultivation of the illicit opium poppy by 7% in 2011.

    Last year opium production halved largely due to a plant infection which drastically reduced yields.

    Afghanistan produces 90% of the world's opium - 5,800 tonnes this year - the main ingredient of heroin.

    Analysts say that revenue from the drug has helped fund the Taliban insurgency.

    Farmers who responded to the survey described economic hardship and lucrative prices as the main reasons for the increase.

    Nearly 80% of the opium grown in Afghanistan is being produced in provinces in the south, including Helmand and Kandahar, which are among the most volatile in the country.

    The report says that there are now 17 provinces in Afghanistan affected by poppy cultivation, up from 14 one year ago.

    Via: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15254788

    One of support machanisms for US economy is working good.
    Btw, about plant infection. No it is not US behind it, quite the opposite :-) US helped to fight with this infection.
  • 6 Replies sorted by
  • brianlucebrianluce
    Yes, we'll help the Afghans grow it, then punish our own people who get addicted to it. Makes perfect sense to me!
    This is why I watch Olivia instead of the BBC.
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    Not only grow, but also distribute and sell big amounts.
    Narcotics raised in Afganistan make strong support for economy.
    Most of the casualties are not in US. They are in exUSSR and Eastern/Western Europe.
  • zcreamzcream
    >>
    Analysts say that revenue from the drug has helped fund the Taliban insurgency.
    >>
    This is bs. The Taliban used to execute opium growers. The US supported Karzai govt is behind the drug trade.
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev
    >The US supported Karzai govt is behind the drug trade

    Russian agencies told that it is not Karzai (he actually rarely get out of the fortified district), but US military bases and transport planes are used for narcotics transfers. European and Asian bases are used for further distribution.
  • brianlucebrianluce
    The CIA and US Military has been working for years to help run drugs through central asia. Why wouldn't they? It's where the money is.

    The important thing about Karzai is that he's not the President of Afghanistan, he's the Mayor of Kabul. Big difference. Either way, he's totally crooked and always has been.
  • zcreamzcream
    @Vitaliy thats really messed up. It wont just go to Europe. It will spread east to India and China as well.
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