Afghan opium – The farmer's perspective

'Afghan opium – The farmer's perspective', Middle East Times, 8 April 2008

EXCERPT: "In Afghanistan opium poppies are much more likely to be grown in areas where security has broken down and power is wielded by the Taliban, who encourage farmers to grow the crop. It does not take a lot of prodding, since farmers can make about 10 to 20 times more money growing poppies than they can make on wheat, corn, cotton, fruit, or other legal crops. But, opium has increased expenses, including additional labor for harvesting and bribes to avoid eradication. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), opium cultivation generates approximately $5,385 per hectare, while irrigated wheat generates $575 per hectare and rain-fed wheat approximately $282 per hectare. Growing opium can make a farmer rich by Afghan standards, where estimates of the average annual per capita income is less than $1,000 and over half the population lives below the poverty line. About a year ago the average annual cash income of farmers growing opium poppy was $3,933, 42 percent higher than the $2,279 average for non-opium poppy growing farmers.

"In Afghanistan some prosperous merchants and opium traders provide credit, known as "salaam", to farmers who are dealing with an acute financial crisis or chronic poverty. The amount of money advanced is generally half the current market value of the crop that is being offered as payment. Opium is the crop of choice for lenders because the demand and price are more consistent than wheat; they'll make a better return on their investment. An Afghan farmer who wants a loan to grow legal crops will probably leave empty-handed. The agreed upon quantity of opium will be delivered promptly to the lender upon harvest. Poverty stricken farmers often sell their entire crop prior to harvest for 50 percent of its potential market value, using the money to buy food, clothing, and other essentials, including additional laborers to help in harvesting the opium."

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See also:
'Rubin: Who lacks capacity? Using the skills of opium trade for counter-narcotics', Informed Comment Global Affairs, 8 April 2008
'Taliban kill 25 poppy police, spokesman says', Quqnoos.com, 8 April 2008
'Taliban kill 7 Afghan police purging poppy field', Fox News, 7 April 2008
'Defeating the Taliban by treating the world's sick: A new approach to the Afghan poppy trade - Op-Ed', Yahoo! News, 6 April 2008

Related posts:
'Afghanistan opium poppy cultivation highlighted in UNODC Annual Report 2008', 10 March 2008
'Clashes over Afghanistan poppy fields', 28 February 2008
'Counter-narcotics to stabilize Afghanistan: The false promise of crop eradication', 27 February 2008
'Opium winter rapid assessment survey: UNODC', 6 February 2008