strategies to counter opiate in Afghanistan - Groupe URD

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3.2.4 Factors directly related to the opiate sector • Past opium poppy cultivation and know-how: the cultivation of opium poppies and the extraction of opiate substances require know-how. In certain provinces, such as Badakhshan, opium poppies have been cultivated on a small scale for many decades and consumed locally whereas in other provinces such as Ghor and Balkh, it has only been introduced recently. • The price of opium: The price of opium has varied a great deal over the last decade, with a market which is regulated on the basis of supply and demand: a sudden increase in supply inevitably causes the price to fall and vice versa. In 2001, following the Taliban ban, the producer received 600 US$ for a kilogram of dried opium. Since 2003, the price has been falling (cf. figure 6). In 2009, the average price was 64 US$/Kg (ONUDC, 2009). It should be noted that the price also varies a great deal depending on when it is sold (before, during or after the harvest) and the province. Figure 6. Average farm gate price of dry opium (US$/Kg), 2002-2007 Source: ONUDC/MCN opium surveys 2009 The drop in price of dry opium played a decisive role in reducing production in certain provinces like Ghor. • Relative prices of wheat and opium: Parallel to the fall in price of dry opium, the price of wheat has gone up sharply on the Afghan markets, thus modifying the rates of exchange between wheat and opium and increasing the competitivity of wheat in relation to opium poppy. In 2003, the gross value of a hectare of opium poppy was 27 times that of a hectare of wheat. In 2009 the ratio had fallen to 1 to 3. In terms of net value, this ratio is even smaller because opium is labour intensive and is therefore more expensive to cultivate. According to estimates by UNODC, net income from opium was only twice that of wheat in 2009 2 (ONUDC, 2009). The drop in production since 2007 is partly attributable to this poor ratio: farmers give priority to their food security, and therefore to wheat cultivation, which is very expensive on the market. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2 This result does not take into account income generated by the sale of other opium and wheat derivatives such as straw. 26
• The production of opium in other countries: Labrousse (2005) shows that from the end of the 1970s, the measures taken against drug production in Pakistan and Iran, and the reduction in production in the golden triangle (Myanmar and Laos) following the drought, created the conditions for Afghanistan to take over from these countries. This drop in production in the golden triangle was confirmed during the 1990s, opening up new markets to the Afghan opiate sector (cf. figure 8). However, Afghan production is now so high that it outstrips worldwide demand and there is a stockpile of 2000 tonnes. Figure 7. Proportion of Afghan opiates on the world market (tonnes), 1994-2009 Source: ONUDC/MCN opium surveys 2009 • Access and price of precursors for processing opium into heroin: A number of chemical compounds (such as ammonium chloride and acetic anhydride) are needed to transform opium into heroin and morphine. These chemical precursors are not made in Afghanistan. They therefore need to be imported and their price is subject to increases. Access and proximity to the precursors are therefore key factors for the activities of clandestine laboratories which have grown in number in the last decade. At the regional level, major variations in price and levels of access are apparent between the regions of the South and West, where prices are particularly low and those of the North where prices are particularly high (UNODC, 2009). • The presence of opium processing sites: The number of clandestine opium processing laboratories has grown in the last decade (Helmand, Nangarhar, and Badakhshan). The proximity of these laboratories influences the choice of whether to cultivate opium as they contribute to the economic dynamic around opium in the province and provide a nearby market for farmers’ produce. • Access / proximity to international trafficking networks (Pakistan/Iran and Central Asia): The main outlets for drugs produced in Afghanistan are external markets. Access and proximity to international trafficking networks is therefore an essential factor in maintaining and developing the sector. The regions adjacent to Iran and Pakistan, some of which have very porous borders, are doorways to regional and international networks. Strategies to counter opiate production in Afghanistan Groupe URD | Juin 2010 27
Page 1 and 2: STRATEGIES TO COUNTER OPIATE PRODUC
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7 1. INT
Page 5 and 6: ACRONYMS ADP Alternative Developmen
Page 7 and 8: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Almost ten years
Page 9 and 10: have had a long-term impact on opiu
Page 11 and 12: poppy cultivation in a sustainable
Page 13: 11. It is important to improve the
Page 17 and 18: 2. Object, methodology and limits o
Page 19 and 20: 3. Opium in Afghanistan 3.1 The hug
Page 21 and 22: Figure 3. Distribution of opium cul
Page 23 and 24: governor and they had been impoveri
Page 25: hand, the decision not to cultivate
Page 29 and 30: Table 1. Factors which influence th
Page 31 and 32: Table 2 presents the four prioritie
Page 33 and 34: 4. Opium poppies and development De
Page 35 and 36: 4.1.1 Poor competitivity of alterna
Page 37 and 38: Profit margin per hectare Ease of s
Page 39 and 40: 4.1.2 Difficulties in establishing
Page 41 and 42: Box 2. “Roses for Nangarhar” an
Page 43 and 44: Table 5. Principal characteristics
Page 45 and 46: It is also important to note that m
Page 47 and 48: eing given to agricultural programm
Page 49 and 50: implementation and involving both t
Page 51 and 52: Development Bank because it was too
Page 53 and 54: The creation of jobs in non-produci
Page 55 and 56: As very little progress has been ma
Page 57 and 58: Box 3. An attempt to analyse the re
Page 59: full use. Though the question of la
Page 62 and 63: Eradication was the subject of deba
Page 64 and 65: 5.2 Interdiction and repression 5.2
Page 66 and 67: 5.2.3 Criminal Justice The objectiv
Page 68 and 69: However, these operations often hav
Page 70 and 71: Box 5. The Harm reduction program f
Page 72 and 73: Helmand, which was developed by the
Page 75: 6. Conclusion Considerable effort h
Page 78 and 79:
political stability is a pre-requis
Page 80 and 81:
deployment capacity of existing cre
Page 82 and 83:
COUNTER-NARCOTICS TRUST FUND (CNTF)
Page 84 and 85:
MANSFIELD, D. Water management, liv
Page 86 and 87:
KARZAI, H. Stabilizing Afghanistan:
Page 88 and 89:
Annex 3: Opium poppy cultivation in
Page 90 and 91:
Opium poppy has been cultivated in
Page 92 and 93:
Annex 4: Typology of opium-producin
Page 96:
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