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Bumper opium crop
19/02/2004 21:51 - (SA)
Vienna - Afghanistan produced more than three quarters of the world's illicit opium production last year, according to a UN report released in Vienna on Thursday.
The opium harvest, estimated at 3 600 metric tons, was the biggest quantity of opium produced by the country since 1999.
The survey by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also investigated potential cultivation trends for 2004, farmers' motivations for growing poppy, and their socio-economic background.
It concluded that opium poppy cultivation could expand even further in 2004. Two out of every three farmers interviewed said they intended to increase their opium poppy cultivation significantly this year.
UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said that "persistent poverty, high opium prices and loans from traffickers are the main reasons for the higher opium production expected in 2004".
According to the report, farmers were clearly aware of the government ban on opium production. The short-term benefits, however, had so far continued to outweigh the potential risks.
Overall, a quarter of Afghan farmers engaged in opium poppy cultivation in 2003.
Costa said that "the results of this survey impart the unequivocal warning that illegal opium production will continue to thrive unless resolute action is taken". Sapa-dpa
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