MAZAR-I-SHARIF (SW): The Ministry of Counter Narcotics (MoCN) has noted a significant rise in poppy cultivation in the northern parts of the country.
Salamat Azimi, Minister for Counter Narcotics told a moot in Mazar-i-Sharif on Wednesday that unprecedented rise has been witnessed in poppy cultivation in the northern Afghanistan. She said that it was feared that southern parts of the country might be marred with higher poppy cultivation but surprisingly the northern parts have also seen a surge in this regard.
She mentioned that last year some 204 hectors of land in the Balkh province was cultivated with poppy, but this year this has swollen to 2085 hectors. Similarly, area under poppy cultivation in Jawzjan has increased from zero hectors in the previous year to 409 hectors this year. In Baghlan from 180 hectors to 849 hectors, in Sar-i-Pul from 331 hetors to 1686 hectors and in Faryab from 1160 hectors to 2933 hectors.
The Minister for Counter Narcotics further said that overall, the country has witnessed 10 percent rise in poppy cultivation and 43 percent rise in its production. Considering the state of security affairs and other issues, Salamat Azimi said that these figures are not alarming. About the drug addicts, she informed that latest study suggests that there are some 3.5 million drug addicts in Afghanistan, and not all of them are curable. She added that besides this, some 1.5 million other citizens are indirectly addicted to drugs.
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