Opium seizures prompt fears of resumed poppy cultivation

About 50 kg of opium has been seized in the eastern province of Nangarhar, igniting fears of re-emerging poppy cultivation, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). "UNODC has been working closely with the Afghan authorities and the donor community to counter narcotics. All parties recognise that to counter narcotics is a complex and long-term issue in Afghanistan. These seizures represent one aspect of the bigger picture, namely law enforcement," Adam Bouloukos, the deputy representative of UNODC in Afghanistan, told IRIN from the capital, Kabul. Other seizures had been reported throughout the country over the last month, with 20 kg of heroin and 60 kg of opium being seized in the northern Takhar Province, he noted. "Local authorities in the southern province of Kandahar had also captured 100 kg of opium en route to Herat," Bouloukos said, adding that this consignment was found concealed in medicine containers. "Although the UNODC receives reports of seizures as and when they occur, they are somewhat sporadic, making it difficult to confirm the correct number of seizures, as well as the correct amount seized," Bouloukos said. According to the Afghanistan Poppy Survey conducted by the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNODCCP) in 2002, Afghanistan is the largest source of illicit opium and heroin in the world. UNODCCP stated that the overall turnover from the opiate trade in Afghanistan was around US $25 billion annually. In 2002, it said the area under poppy cultivation had ranged between 69,000 ha and 79,000 ha. In an attempt to halt the opium trade, farmers are being encouraged to plant alternative crops. "Farmers polycrop - that is, they grow numerous different crops to sustain their families' food needs and to keep the soil fertile," Bouloukos said.