KABUL (TOLOnews): Some farmers in different provinces of the country want more cooperation from the Islamic Emirate in the field of alternatives to cultivating crops used for illicit drugs in the country.
They said that since the prohibition of poppy cultivation and drug production in the country, they have not received any cooperation in the field of alternative cultivation.
“When it was opium cultivation, we used to be able to earn a lot of money and work hard, now there is no opium, and the government did not cooperate with us because of alternative cultivation,” said Ghulam Nabi, a farmer. “Our request from the government is to give us seeds for alternative cultivation so that we can benefit from it,” said Faridullah, a farmer.
The UNODC said that more discussions are needed to grow alternative crops in Afghanistan.
“UNODC recently brought a group of experts together in Kabul to discuss solutions for sustainable alternative livelihoods for former poppy farmers who relied on illicit crop cultivation. We need more conversations about alternative livelihoods,” UNODC said.
The Islamic Emirate said that for the purpose of obtaining alternative cultivation of poppy in different regions of the country, research and assistance from countries and institutions of the world are needed.
“We need research to be done to find out what are the different areas that we have that can be offered to the people as alternative crops and we can improve the economic situation of the people through that…,” said Zabiullah Mujahid.
Based on the statistics of the counter-narcotics department of the MoI, fourteen thousand hectares of land in the center and provinces have been cleared of poppy since the beginning of the current solar year.
Afghan farmers call for assistance
