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Mon 9 Feb 2004

Fears as Afghan opium growth hits all-time high

GETHIN CHAMBERLAIN
DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT
The Scotsman

PRODUCTION of opium in Afghanistan surged to a record level last year as
farmers in lawless provinces increased their output, threatening efforts
to strengthen the government and establish a proper economy.

Two years after the ousting of the Taleban regime, which had cracked
down ruthlessly on the cultivation of opium, production of the substance
last year hit 3,600 tonnes, up 6 per cent over the previous year, and
surveys of farmers show a further increase is likely this year.

The release of the figures coincided with demands from politicians to
tackle Scotland’s heroin problem by cutting off supply of the drug at
its source. More than 90 per cent of the heroin on Scotland’s streets is
believed to come from Afghanistan, where the aftermath of war and the
end of the Taleban regime means production of the drug is becoming more
widespread and less expensive.

Among those calling for a curb on opium production was David Cairns, the
Labour MP for Greenock and Inverclyde, who has campaigned to end the
supply of heroin from Afghanistan for a number of years. "This is a
problem that affects towns and cities the length and breadth of the
country," he said.

"It is a health problem, it is a crime problem and it is a problem that
really is belittling communities. If we allow cheaper heroin to come in
from Afghanistan, the problem is only going to become bigger."

As a UK-led UN conference on the problem began in Kabul, the Afghan
capital, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated that Afghan
output accounted for two-thirds of world opium production.

Officials voiced concern because it was spreading to areas in the
country where it had not been grown before.

UNODC has estimated that the output could be worth $2.3billion
(£1.25billion) , compared to Afghanistan’s official exports of
$40million (£21.8billion) to its neighbour Pakistan.

In a statement before leaving for Kabul, Antonio Maria Costa, the UNODC
executive director, said: "We face critical decisions. If we don’t start
translating counter-narcotics commitment into lower levels of
production, we run the risk of the opium economy undermining all that
has been achieved in creating a democratic new Afghanistan."

Mr Costa praised Afghanistan for setting up its first counter-narcotics
institutions and passing counter-narcotics laws, but said more needed to
be done.

"These institutions and laws now need to reach opium-growing areas. This
needs to be complemented by a much better-focused effort to replace a
deeply-rooted opium economy with a sustainable alternative livelihood
for Afghan farmers," he said.

"The fight against terrorism will be more effective if drug trafficking
is interrupted. There is a mounting evidence of drug money being used to
finance criminal activities, including terrorism."

Adam Bouloukos, the UNODC deputy representative, said the conference
would look at income alternatives, and demand reduction in cultivation
and law enforcement. The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, is due to
attend the conference today.

Speaking from Kabul, Bill Rammell, the Foreign Office minister, said the
conference was targeting the UK drug problem at its source.

"If I said to you this could be solved overnight, I would be misleading
you, but we are making progress," he said.

This article:

http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=156602004