10 years ago, Christian Parenti wrote
about how Afghani farmers kept the economy sustained through the growing of
poppy. The poppies would then be used to make opium.
In the early 2000s Afghanistan was hit by a drought that would last years, until violent floods hit in 2010. While many crops failed, poppy flourished. This is because the poppy plant is drought resistant, needing only “one-sixth of the water needed for wheat”. (Parenti, 107)
So while food crops were unable to grow in the drought conditions, farmers could still rely on poppy to keep an income. Poppy was also worth more than food crops. Wheat, apricots, and other crops had low prices that could not compete with the price of drugs. In combination with low harvest rates, the economy of Afghanistan could not be supported, and farmers could not survive, without poppy. Even when food crop prices rose again, the poppy industry still brought in more money.
Unfortunately,
poppy and opium product were illegal. NATO forces, including the U.S., made
attempts to eradicate all poppy fields. However, the farmers went to their government
and negotiated a price to keep the fields intact. The government took these bribes
and the poppy fields remained in operation. One local farmer named Wazir told
Parenti the following:
“If the government had not accepted
the bribe, we were ready to fight. If a farmer loses his poppy, he can’t even
have tea and sugar. He will borrow money from a rich person and lose his land.”
(Parenti, 98)
As NATO and the U.S. kept with their attempt to destroy the poppy, more and more citizens were pushed toward insurgent organizations including the Taliban, who supported the manufacturing and selling of opium. This helped Taliban numbers to grow as more Afghan citizens turned to the organization for help.
So what
is happening today? According to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, “…opium
poppy cultivation in Afghanistan was approximately 224,000 hectares in 2020…”
with an estimated value of $350 million USD. (unodic.org, 2021) This tells us
that Afghan farmers are still relying on opium poppy production in order to survive.
With future predictions of drought increasing and the current Taliban control,
opium poppy cultivation can be expected to grow as it supports farmers and the
government with its income.
United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2021/May/afghanistan_-37-per-cent-increase-in-opium-poppy-cultivation-in-2020--while-researchers-explore-novel-ways-to-collect-data-due-to-covid-19.html
Love the pictures and big font. Your blog is easy to read physically, but a tough read mentally because of the topic. Sucks what is happening over there, but glad you are helping spread awareness.
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting blog post to read about Emily. It's strange to think that even in Afghanistan opium is popular. It's even stranger than the Taliban help keep this operation protected. However, well written blog post Emily.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting the impact that poppy has on the Afghanistan economy. If for some reason the poppy became unavailable, it could have serious consequences.
ReplyDeleteYour post is impressive, it greatly tells this story. It so sad that it seems like an endless illegal loop! The farmers are simply unable to stop illegal practices because if they were to do it, the economy simply wouldn't be able to survive that, threatening lives of hundreds of people
ReplyDeleteIt is galling to see that opium cultivation is such a large industry in Afghanistan still. I agree with you that the future looks bleak, but something must be done to supplement farmers for growing legal crops.
ReplyDeleteI find this topic fascinating. First off, I think it's crazy how poppy only needs 1/6 of the amount of water needed to grow wheat. Secondly, the drug trade is a booming business. It is crazy the difference of crop yield from wheat to poppy. Finally, it is sad that poppy is the only crop that is worth planting and growing in Afghanistan because of the dire droughts in the region.
ReplyDeleteThe inability for local food systems to produce enough food to survive forces adaptation. In this case, adaptation is economic. Adapting to grow what will is business, trading for what you need to survive is the goal. We could have sent food aid but instead we sent drones. Let Afghanistan farmers grow what they want or provide a situation where adapting in this way is unnecessary. Your post enraged me, I appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteThis article just further drives the point that no matter the conditions, there will ALWAYS be a demand for drugs no matter the price. In this case Poppy is the cash crop that keep that keep the money rolling.
ReplyDeleteI find it alarming the governments in NATO took bribes from farmers to continue poppy and opium farmers. It is hypocritical because that's the same sort of action that our politicians would chastise another country for if they did the same.
ReplyDelete