strategies to counter opiate in Afghanistan - Groupe URD

4.1 From “alternative crops”…
Experiences in other countries have clearly shown that promoting alternative crops is not an
effective way to reduce opium poppy dependence in a sustainable way (cf. Box 1). And yet, many
organisations in Afghanistan continue to use the term “alternative crops” or “substitution crops”.
It is important to recognise that it is still appropriate to explore different crops which could
meet the needs of farmers and compete with opium poppy as part of integrated development
approaches.
To understand the potential of “alternative crops” better, the results of several projects
implemented in the last decade were analysed. The crops chosen included: saffron (DACAAR
project), roses for essential oil (GAA/GTZ/EU project), cotton (AFD project), cashmere (USAID
project) and licit opium for the production of morphine (a project promoted by the Senlis
Council, renamed the International Council on Security and Development (ICOS), but which was
aborted because it was considered inappropriate by the Afghan government and donors).
This list is not exhaustive and these crops were selected because they were explicitly presented
as alternatives by certain organisations, notably their promoters. Designating a crop as
“alternative” is often a subjective distinction because the same crops can be introduced in other
programmes as a means of diversifying rural income, whether opium poppy is being cultivated
or not. At the same time, crops which are promoted as part of agricultural programmes (e.g. fruit
production) can play a significant role in the fight against the opiate sector even though they are
not presented as « alternative crops » 5 .
Analysis of selected projects shows that the long-term success of these substitution crops
essentially depends on two factors:
competitivity in relation to opium poppies, on the basis of several criteria, such as the weight
value, net profit per hectare, ease of storage and transportation, effective demand on the
international markets, the competitivity of Afghan products in relation to other producers, the
place occupied by the crop in the production system and the need for labour.
the sustainability of crops put in place and the ability of Afghan farmers to pursue the activity
without external technical and financial assistance once the programme is finished (knowing
that opium poppy cultivation benefits from surprisingly sophisticated technical support –
experimentation into improved varieties – and an impressively structured sector).
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5 Fruit growing programmes are dealt with in section 4.3.
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