Life in opium producing areas 

Life in rural Afghanistan is marred by insecurity, ongoing conflict and chronic banditry. Even in the environs of urban centres, security breaks down after nightfall, circumscribing the movement of goods and people. Government is largely absent, leaving people to rely on their own resources. In this context poppy cultivation is no abnormality, but a ready opportunity. A farmer in the village of Khusak, in the province of Badakhshan, had been hard hit by drought and forced to sell his 65 head of cattle, plough and carpets. In 2001 he planted half of his land with poppy and half with wheat. Harvesting some  21 kg of opium he travelled to Baharak bazaar to gain a better price than what the local traders offered him, and planted opium again the next two seasons. By 2003 he had cleared his debts and replaced carpets and tools. In 2004 he was in a position to restock his herd and to go on Haj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, with three friends.

In the same village an old man with responsibility for eleven children had been equally hit by the drought. Not only had his herd been wiped out and his household items been sold, but he had to mortgage half of his remaining land, some 1.5 jeribs. To feed the large number of dependents, much of the land was dedicated to wheat. Moreover, as the children were young he would depend on hired labour during the harvest season. Over four years he struggled to clear the debt and regain his land which would enable him to expand cultivation and to rise out of poverty. In 2005 government forces raided the village and eradicated his opium. Not only was he no longer able to meet the payments on his loan, but had to mortgage his remaining land so the family could survive the season.

The attitudes to opium vary widely even within poppy growing districts. Some farmers and labourers report enthusiastically about their cash earnings. But the insecurity and the debt traps are widely resented. One account contrasts the enthusiastic reports of one young man who earned money for a motorbike and to fund his education with the resignation of his brother, who thinks that that the opium industry has dislocated all sense of value and worth. Within a few weeks farm labourers can earn the equivalent of the annual salary of a teacher, carpenter or civil servant, prompting him to observe, that “if this opium continues none of us will ever amount to anything.” The opium economy intrudes on every aspect of life in rural area in one way or another. People may not like it, but have to become involved just in order to survive or maintain their position. Others, either indifferent or supportive of opium, are exposed to the risk of eradication and theft. Though normal in the sense of being a widely planted cash crop, illicit opium has a destabilising impact on rural communities.