cable- Afghanistan faces a major challenge to reduce opium cultivation, which mainly contributes to the country’s economy, but also contributes greatly to the spread of drug trafficking affecting regional and international security.
After the Taliban took control of the government in Afghanistan, the movement announced its intention to eliminate opium cultivation, but reports indicate that this agriculture continues in some areas.
In this context, international initiatives, such as those of Turkey, come to provide practical support to Afghan farmers through alternative agricultural programs, in an attempt to reduce the impact of drug trafficking.
The reality of opium cultivation in Afghanistan
Before the Taliban took control of August 2021, Afghanistan was the largest producer of Ophyons in the world, as it was planted about 250,000 hectares of land with these drugs.
According to the United Nations, opium production constituted about 80% of global production, as production in 2020 reached about 6400 tons.
The opium trade was a major source of income for many families in Afghanistan, including Taliban -controlled areas.
After the Taliban control
After the Taliban arrived in August 2021, the movement pledged to completely eliminate opium cultivation, and issued a ban on its cultivation in the areas it controls, and despite the Afghan government taking some measures such as the destruction of crops and the prohibition of agriculture in some areas, the reality indicates a slight decline in the areas planted with opium.
At the beginning of the prohibition application, opium transplantation declined significantly, and the cultivated spaces were dramatically reduced.
According to the United Nations reports, opium cultivation fell 95% in 2023 compared to 2022, but it returned to recovery in 2024 by 19%, when about 12 thousand and 800 hectares were cultivated, which indicates the transformation of production centers into areas such as the state of Bakhshan in the northeast.
Has the Afghan government succeeded in eliminating opium cultivation?
According to reports issued by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, there is a slight decline in opium transplantation by 10% to 20%.
There are still great challenges in implementing the embargo in remote areas such as Kandahar and Hilmand, where opium remains a major source of income for many farmers who suffer from difficulty in finding economic alternatives to this activity, which was a source of their main livelihood.
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The role of the Afghan government
Despite the ban that it imposed, the Afghan government has faced difficulties in implementing this decision on the ground, especially in areas that depend largely on opium as an income source.
Some reports claim that some members of the movement may be involved in the opium trade informally, making efforts to combat its cultivation, in addition to that the lack of sufficient support programs for farmers has made it difficult to move to alternative crops.
International efforts
The United Nations and the US Drug Enforcement Agency continue to provide support for drug control in Afghanistan, as well as Turkish programs aimed at supporting farmers to go towards alternative agriculture such as distributing modified seeds and agricultural equipment in the Kala’ila Luger areas.
These initiatives are part of international efforts seeking to provide economic alternatives to farmers with the aim of reducing opium dependence.
Turkish initiative for alternative agriculture
As part of its ongoing assistance to Afghanistan, Türkiye provided continuous support to farmers through alternative agricultural programs, which aims to encourage farmers to grow useful crops instead of opium.
In the southeast of the Afghan capital, Kabul, a program was organized with the aim of distributing modified seeds and agricultural chemicals in cooperation with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TICA) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The deputy ambassador of Türkiye in Kabul, Bilal, commanded by Perral that Türkiye will continue to provide humanitarian and development support to Afghanistan.
In turn, the Afghan Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, the greatest religion of Othmani, said that work is underway on the mechanization of the agricultural sector, in addition to implementing a project to establish 700 small water dams to improve water management in the country.
Speaking to Al -Jazeera Net, the greatest religion of Othmani provided additional details about the efforts made in the agricultural sector and alternative agriculture challenges in Afghanistan, stressing the importance of partnership with Türkiye and international organizations in these areas.
“Alternative agriculture is an essential part of our plan to combat opium cultivation in Afghanistan. We are working in the Ministry of Agriculture to diversify agricultural crops to support farmers who were previously dependent on opium as a major source of income. We are witnessing good progress in some areas, but it requires a great time and effort,” Othmani said.
He added that the ministry is currently working on implementing a five -year plan that includes alternative agricultural projects that aim to improve the agricultural production capacity in the country.
“One of the biggest challenges we face is the shift from opium cultivation to planting alternative crops. Many farmers depend on opium as a major income for them, and therefore they need intensive support to move to other crops. Therefore, we are working to provide technical training and technical assistance to ensure the success of these transformations.”
He pointed out that the alternative agriculture program includes support in the form of alternative crop seeds such as wheat, barley and corn, as well as agricultural equipment that helps farmers to improve their production.
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Challenges to face opium cultivation
Othmani talked about the climatic challenges facing Afghanistan in relation to water resources management, explaining that the water shortage poses a serious threat to food security.
“We are fully aware that water management is one of the biggest challenges we face, and that is why we started building small dams and expanding the use of modern irrigation technologies to improve water resources management,” he said.
Othmani stressed that the Afghan government is working on strategic partnerships with donor countries such as Türkiye, with the aim of achieving food security in the country in the long run.
“We know that success in eliminating opium cultivation requires a joint effort from the Afghan government and the international community. Through these partnerships, we hope that we can provide sustainable alternative opportunities for farmers, which helps reduce drug trafficking and achieve sustainable economic development,” he said.
The government official pointed out that the ministry is working to motivate the private sector to invest in alternative agriculture, stressing that there is a need to develop the local market and maintain natural resources at the same time.
“We seek to build a sustainable Afghan economy away from the drug trade, by developing the agricultural sector and increasing the competitiveness of Afghan farmers in global markets,” he added.
He revealed the seizure of more than a thousand kilograms of narcotic substances in Badakhshan, northern Afghanistan, in a special operation carried out by the Anti -Narcotics Administration forces in this state.
For his part, the police chief in the state of Bakhshan, Aziz Allah Omar, said, “We were able to arrest drug traffickers with 1100 kilograms of opium during the process of transferring it from the Argo area.”
The director of the drug control department at the State Police Command in Bakhshan, Shafiq Allah Hafeezi, indicated that the drug control department in the week before last week managed to arrest 11 people from drug traffickers and their merchants, and they were handed over to the law.
In the context, a number of users receiving treatment in addiction treatment hospitals demanded the Afghan government to confront drug transplantation and smuggling.
“The government must take strong measures against drug traffickers, because they are the main source of corruption. The more the opium trade spreads, the more violence and crime phenomena, which not only affect addicts but to society as a whole. It is necessary that there be strict measures against these smugglers,” said Abu Bakr Gaidi, one of the addicts.
“The government must make a decisive decision to eradicate opium transplantation from the ground. This is the only solution to reduce drugs in Afghanistan. We, as addicts, know exactly how much suffering we live because of this disease, and what we need is an environment free from these toxic substances in order to be able to recover and build a new life,” said Ahmed Khan, another addict.
