The cultivation of the opium poppy (“long-sleeved”) has been a tradition in Afghanistan for centuries, from which raw opium is made, which is used for medical purposes, mainly as a painkiller. But it is also a raw material for the production of opium or other, even more powerful drugs, such as heroin. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that in the last “crop” last July, Afghan growers harvested 6,800 tonnes of opium, up 8% from 2020.
According to the United Nations in 2021 opium turnover in Afghanistan ranged between $ 1.8 billion and $ 2.7 billion, which is equivalent to about 10% of the Afghan economy. 90% of world production today comes from Afghanistan. A recent UNODC report states that after the Taliban came to power in August 2021, “continuing economic uncertainty contributed to the spike in prices in August and September, which gave an additional impetus to the spread of crops.”
Secure income for growers
Speaking to DW, a former Afghan army officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “Opium production will increase even more, because opium is a guaranteed source of income for farmers, but also for many unemployed people who have been concentrated in cities and now they return to their villages “. After all, the collapse of the economy continues after the withdrawal of the Taliban. Until the Taliban came to power, DW’s interlocutor was part of the Afghan army’s special forces tasked with combating the drug trade. “And then we did not have everything under control,” he admits. “Especially in the most isolated rural areas, the Taliban had increased influence and protected growers. “If they really want to, the Taliban can stop opium production, and they have proven that.”
Indeed, in the first period of Taliban rule, 1996-2001, opium production was steadily declining and in 2001 it was estimated that it did not exceed 185 tonnes across the country. Then the crops began to thrive again. Today, the Taliban claim that they want to fight drug production and trafficking, as they have done in the past. However, in previous years, when they financed their terrorist activities, they themselves were involved in the drug trade, from which, according to American estimates, they derived about 60% of their income.
Apathy of the West towards opium circuits
Thomas Routing of the Afghanistan Analysts Network argues that the Taliban themselves as a whole do not control the opium and heroin trade, which is still considered illegal. But that does not rule out the possibility of Taliban individuals involved in the drug trade, he said. But the same thing happened with the previous government. “People of the old regime were competing with the Taliban in trying to gain influence in rural areas, so many of them were directly involved in the drug trade, as were many police officers.”
Not only that, but, as Thomas Rutting observes, “even Western troops in Afghanistan had relations with local warlords, officers, government officials, although they knew they were involved in drug trafficking, but usually did not intervene in these cases.” ». As for the Taliban’s new announcements that they will eliminate opium production, Thomas Routing claims that they are not serious. “They do not want to and can not do that,” he said. “Because if they do, they will lose important supporters in rural areas …”
DW – Sampnam von Hein / Giannis Papadimitriou
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