Afghanistan's hot export: opium

From: Afghanistan: Survey predicts rise in opium production in 2006: Eradication has had only limited success - the survey predicts a rise in poppy production in 13 provinces this year UN Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) 03/06/06

A recent survey shows that Afghan farmers are planting more poppy this year than in 2005, in what remains the world’s biggest opium producing country, the United Nations warned on Monday.

A rapid assessment survey of poppy production was carried out jointly by the Ministry of Counter Narcotics (MCN) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in December 2005 and January 2006. ...

"The survey shows an increasing trend in poppy cultivation in 13 provinces, a stable trend in 16 provinces and a decrease in three provinces," Edwards explained. ...

Afghanistan still supplies almost 90 percent of the world's opium. The international community set up drug-eradication programmes in Afghanistan after US-led coalition forces toppled the hard line Taliban regime in 2001, but they have had limited impact on poppy production. (my emphasis)

Yes, we have a "war on drugs" there, too, along with a counterinsurgency war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda and various and sundry other opponents of the weak central government.

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