By Aziz Ahmad Tassal
Commentary
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan — With the season for planting poppies approaching, Afghan farmers are considering their options.
Faced with plunging prices caused by oversupply of the raw material used in opium production, coupled with intensified efforts to stamp out production of the illegal crop, an increasing number of growers are producing wheat instead of poppy.
Helmand Province is still the leading producer of opium in the world. But officials report that poppy cultivation was down 33 percent in 2009 compared with the previous year.
Helmand Gov. Gulab Mangal says the decline is partly due to his Food Zone program, which distributes seeds, fertilizer and equipment to farmers who grow wheat and other food crops rather than poppy.
“The Food Zone program encouraged people not to grow poppy,” Mangal said. “It shows that seriousness, a regular plan and good management can have an effect.”
Salim Zmaryal, an adviser to the governor, said enforcement of the law against illegal drugs also played a role. “We raised public awareness by talking to religious leaders and soliciting their opinion about the illegality of poppy,” he said. “We also conducted a campaign through the media. In addition, we distributed seeds, and got serious about implementing the law. We punished smugglers and confiscated the tools needed for harvesting. We seized and burned opium. All of these measures contributed to the decrease.”
The fight against opium poppy in Helmand has been a long and difficult one, with uneven results. Much of the land still under cultivation is in areas controlled by the Taliban and other insurgent groups; still more is protected by corrupt police or government officials.
And while Afghan officials are quick to claim credit for the decline, others point to market factors that are prompting some farmers to give up the illegal crop.
Because poppy production increased at a staggering rate between 2004 and 2009, oversupply has prompted prices to plunge in recent months. A kilo of opium today sells for about $48, or one-third of what it cost just two years ago.
Faced with such an economic reality, some farmers simply decided to switch to wheat or other crops.
“We are not going to cultivate poppy anymore,” said Bismillah, a resident of Nad Ali. “It has made us poor. We don’t have wheat or hay for our animals because we grew poppy.” Other farmers, however, said they had been offered no incentives by the government to abandon poppy cultivation and so have decided to continuing producing the illegal drug.
“The government gave us nothing,” said Abdul Bari, a resident of Chaimirza village in Nad Ali district. “We spoke with the government’s representative, but he told us that we were too late in requesting assistance. So we grew poppy.”
Bari doesn’t seem concerned about a government crackdown. “We are just as strong as the government. We harvested our fields and nobody interfered. I harvested 140 kilograms and I will plant it again this year. It is like cash, I can sell it whenever I want to.”
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