KABUL – *The Ministry of Counter-Narcotics says Afghan farmers earned morethan 1 billion dollars from poppy cultivation in all across the countryduring the past year.*

“Poppy cultivates in 24 provinces of the country. Mostly in Helmand,Kandahar, Badghis, Faryab, Orozgan and Nimroz which 180 acres of lands havebeen cultivated,” Najibullah Ahmadi, a surveyor said.

Kandahar, Helmand and Zabul are all badly hit by the Taliban-led insurgencyand it is no coincidence opium cultivation is higher there than anywhereelse in the country.

The last few years have seen abundant poppy harvests, with Afghan farmerscultivating more than the global demand.

The illicit economy also discourages private and public investment byfuelling insecurity, violence and insurgency, and creates costs associatedwith the consumption of opiates for individual drug users and theirfamilies.

Agriculture has historically been the backbone of the country-Afghanistanhas plenty of fertile land and produces delicious apricots, pomegranates,raisins and pistachios to name a few — but the rural infrastructure hasbeen destroyed over three decades.