Opium supply is set to outstrip global
demand due to an outstanding rise in the Afghanistan poppy harvest.
Afghanistan
is the biggest provider of poppy in the word. According to the regional
representative of the ONUDC's, the production will allegedly provide 90% of the
worldwide demand by 2013 and meet the demand of millions of English
addicts. Furthermore, the forecast remains bleak; the authorities expect a new
rise by next year!
Such an improvement
in opium cultivation provides a huge source of illicit money, which could
amount to 4% of the Gross Domestic Product this year in terms of profitability.
The dirty money apparently serves Taliban interests who oppose the current
political power.
The poppy
harvest particularly proliferates in the West side of Afghanistan and Helmand province seems to be the heart of this pledge. Besides, it was the
major target of Tony Blair in 2001; Helmand was the place where the troops
“should seek to destroy”.
In spite of
these prominent data, the authorities are delighted by the poor weather in
Afghanistan, which is said to have reduced crops. (That is the tail wagging the
dog, isn’t it?)
The scourge of drugs not only affects foreigners but also threatens the Afghan population given that
the number of very young addicts people is constantly increasing.
Is the increase of such an underground economy
an Anglo-American failure?
Indubitably,
the fact that the troops sent by Tony Blair in 2001 didn’t succeed in their
purpose, weaken the Anglo-Saxon legitimacy and supremacy over the
world even more.
All the
more so as the fields dedicated to the poppy harvest have increased by approximately
2000% since 2001; i.e. since the troops have been present in Afghanistan.
Today, the
withdrawal make the future of Afghan people even more uncertain and they seem
to find in the poppy harvest a sound investment. A fact that raises again
questions concerning the future of civilian citizens going throughout a foreign military
withdrawal.
Nevertheless,
they did try to convert the harvest of narcotic into a harvest of cotton for
instance. This transformation was a real disaster for Afghan farmers, as it didn’t permit them to make ends meet.
Irradiating narcotic trade is an intensive task, and the UK didn’t live up to the challenge.
But is it really
the role of military troops?
In my
opinion, the problem is deeper and the solutions are elsewhere.
Mélanie P.
406 words
SOURCES:
Such sad news... If opium cultivation has been rising it is also because the demand for opium has been increasing. This means a rise in the price of opium too. No wonder poor afghan farmers are ready to boost its cultivation.
ReplyDeleteBut let's just think about the consequences on the Afghan society: it is another way to increase the number of drug addicts. The country's lands are used for opium instead of crop cultivation, people target immediate profits and in the meantime nothing is done for the country's economy in the long term.
Soulef B.
“In the meantime nothing is done for the country's economy in the long term”. You are completely true! It is exactly what I wanted you to think about when I wrote this article. I would like to go further in this analysis strengthening the fact that our government are currently spending millions of dollars to fight drugs: why don’t they spend that amount of money in offering a true alternative for the Afghans famers, by providing them with the good means and tools for instance!
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