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Thursday 08 April 2004
Afghan opium farmers protest over raids
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About 1,000 opium farmers from Eastern Afghanistan have been protesting, saying they haven't received enough compensation for the destruction of their poppy crops. This comes after recent official warnings that opium production in Afghanistan will be the highest it has been for years. This report from Crispin Thorold: |
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Afghanistan is the source of the majority of the world's heroin. Opium, which is used to produce heroin, was virtually eliminated by the Taleban, but it's now flourishing. This year, the yield is expected to be twenty per cent higher than last.
In recent weeks, there have been several government raids. The opium farmers protesting in the eastern Afghan province, Nangarhar, say they have received little compensation for the destruction of their fields. For many, cultivating poppies is the only way to provide for their families, from land where little else will grow.
The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, acknowledges that as his government attempts to eradicate opium, farmers must be dealt with in a different way to the military commanders who profit from the drugs trade. But this illicit business generates over two billion dollars annually, in a country with few other sources of income.
Last week, the international community pledged billions of dollars to Afghanistan over the next three years. If poppy is to be eradicated here, that commitment will have to continue for many years to come.
Crispin Thorold, BBC, Kabul.
Listen to the words
heroin
a very powerful, addictive and illegal drug that some people take for pleasure
virtually
almost entirely, very nearly
flourishing
growing
the yield
the crop
government raids
entry without warning, and often by force, to look for opium
compensation
money
cultivating
growing
eradicate
wipe out, eliminate
illicit business generates
illegal way of making money
pledged
promised
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