Crop Eradication Could Hinder Progress in Afghanistan
Wednesday, 2 February 2005
Crop Eradication Could Hinder Progress in Afghanistan
A letter was sent, addressed to the newly confirmed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, 31 international and Afghan civil society organizations commend the Bush Administration for turning its attention and resources to addressing the drug trade problem in Afghanistan.
NGO's who have put their names to the letter warn that massive eradication efforts in 2005 could risk destabilizing large areas of the country and undermine the remarkable progress Afghanistan has made since 2001.
Millions of Afghans are directly involved in the narcotics business, which accounts for about 40 percent of the country’s total gross domestic product.
A recent U.N. report found that the amount of land cultivated with poppies rose 64 percent between 2003 and 2004 and has spread to all 34 of Afghanistan’s provinces.
Having to erraddicate the growing of poppies all tog ether, means livelihoods are likely to suffer by increasing farmer’s debts to local merchants and money lenders, forcing them to mortgage their land to drug traffickers.
