Pubdate: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB) Copyright: 2008 Canwest Publishing Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Afghanistan Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Taliban Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/poppy (Poppy) POPPIES KEY TO BEATING TALIBAN Defeating the Taliban requires unconventional measures, for they are an unconventional foe. One way to undermine their presence in Afghanistan would be to buy up Afghanistan's poppy harvest. Last year, the Taliban earned approximately $100 million from the opium trade -- Afghanistan typically grows more than 90 per cent of the world's opium poppies. Bereft of strong government and stability, it is likely to do so well into the future despite the best efforts of NATO to eradicate poppy cultivation. If NATO were to purchase the bulk of Afghan poppy production, the benefits would be huge. Afghan farmers could continue to turn a profit from poppies which, despite inflated food prices, still bring in triple the value of wheat crops. Western countries could recoup their investment by selling the opium to legitimate drug companies for production of narcotics like codeine and morphine. Prices for illicit opiates like heroin and opium would skyrocket, putting them beyond the reach of many addicts and forcing criminal syndicates out of business. And drug lords in Afghanistan, including al-Qaeda, would have less cash with which to fund jihad against our troops. Legal poppy production would free Afghan farmers from the intimidation of drug lords and prove a boon to the country's withered economy and the world at large. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Afghan poppy production decreased by 19 per cent in 2008 while the number of provinces blighted by opium production diminished from 18 to 13 as wheat cultivation has risen in response to soaring food prices. However, opium crop yields increased by more than six kilograms per hectare this year and production has outpaced demand for the third year in a row. Global prices have not fallen appreciably, suggesting that narco-merchants are holding back supplies. A more innovative solution than playing catch-up to the traffickers is needed. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake