Poppy growth has fallen by 95% in Afghanistan since Taliban ban: UN
- November 6, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Poppy growth has fallen by 95% in Afghanistan since Taliban ban: UN
Subject : Geography
Section : Economic geography
Context:
Farmers in Afghanistan have lost an income of more than $1 billion from the sale of opium after the Taliban banned poppy cultivation, a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on Sunday (Nov 5).
More about the News:
- As per the report, opium cultivation fell throughout Afghanistan to just 10,800 hectares this year from 233,000 hectares in 2022, slashing supply by 95% to 333 tons.
- The UNODC said that this sharp decline was putting pressure on farmers, and it could have major consequences for the economy in a country where around two-thirds of the population is already in need of humanitarian aid.
- Before the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, the country had been the biggest opium producer globally and a major source of heroin in Europe and Asia. Taliban imposed a ban on opium poppy cultivation in April last year, dealing a heavy blow to hundreds of thousands of farmers and day laborers who relied on proceeds from the crop to survive.
- In its report, the UNODC also said that a huge contraction in the supply of opium from Afghanistan could eventually lead to a drop in its use internationally, but it also risked escalating the global use of alternatives such as fentanyl or synthetic opioids.
- Another report from the UN drugs agency in September said that Afghanistan was the world’s fastest-growing maker of methamphetamine, with seizures of the synthetic drug increasing as poppy cultivation shrank.
About United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):
- UNODC is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime, in addition to being responsible for implementing the United Nations lead programme on terrorism.
- It was established in 1997 through a merger between the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Centre for International Crime Prevention.
Headquarters: Vienna, Austria
Functions:
- UNODC works to educate people throughout the world about the dangers of drug abuse.
- Strengthen international action against illicit drug production and trafficking and drug-related crime.
- It also works to improve crime prevention and assist with criminal justice reform in order to strengthen the rule of law, promote stable and viable criminal justice systems and combat the growing threats of transnational organized crime and corruption.
- In 2002, the UN General Assembly approved an expanded programme of activities for the Terrorism Prevention Branch of UNODC. The activities focus on providing assistance to States, on request, in ratifying and implementing the eighteen universal legal instruments against terrorism.
Working:
- UNODC has 20 field offices covering over 150 countries.
- By working directly with Governments and non-governmental organizations, UNODC field staff develop and implement drug control and crime prevention programmes tailored to countries’ particular needs.
Funding: UNODC relies on voluntary contributions, mainly from governments, to carry out the majority of our work.