KABUL (SW): Officials at the Ministry of Counter Narcotics (MoCN) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have stated that poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is on the rise.
Speaking at a joint session here on Sunday, they noted that the poppy cultivation has increased by staggering 43% during the year 2016. Reports suggest that in the year 2016, anti-narcotics efforts have dwindled by 91% in Afghanistan.
Salamat Azimi, the minster at the MoCN stated that 93% of the poppy is cultivated in the southern, eastern and western areas of the country and the remaining 7% is cultivated in the northern and central areas. The minister asserted that during the current year, about 21,000 hectares of opium have been cultivated across Afghanistan. She added that with almost 80 hectares of poppy cultivated land, Helmand stands first and Badghis with more than 35 hectares stands second.
Azimi noted that the ongoing insecurity and escalating violence are the reasons behind the rise of poppy cultivation in the country.
In the meantime, Baz Mohammad Ahmadi, the deputy minister for counter narcotics at the Ministry of Interior, stated that they have carried out as many as 1260 counter narcotics operations and arrested 1408 drug smugglers.
Afghanistan's poppy production provides raw material for the production of some 90% of heroin worldwide. It is considered as the world's greatest illicit opium producer.
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