The costs of opium poppy cultivation

The costs of opium poppy cultivation - longer version

The demand for illicit heroin and the prohibition of opium production have transformed the status of this crop. It has created chronic insecurity for the producers and a wide opportunity for criminal organisations, corrupt officials and militant opponents of the government. In the country, the control efforts directed against opium poppy farmers and heroin traffickers are widely perceived as corrupt and ineffective. Crop eradication is used by local commanders to obtain the land of poor farmers and the drugs court in Kabul is mainly prosecuting drug users and drug peddlers. Benefits are enjoyed mainly by traders who control production via the salaam system, providing farmers with seeds, fertilizer and staples in return for a fixed amount of opium at a fixed price. Where farmers fail to deliver the debt may be converted from opium into cash at prevailing prices. In this way a farmer can end up owing 50kgs of opium for an advance payment of US$ 450.

To escape the debt trap or destitution farmers are forced to replant and increase opium production. Eradication campaigns where no alternative livelihood is provided only intensify the planting efforts. Family members provide the labour, missing out on education and training. The rising demand puts pressure on resources, water and land, which is no longer regulated by traditional distribution system and can spark conflict. Crop eradication can therefore push families into destitution and entire communities into rebellion.