New Survey Reveals Steep Drops in Opium Production and Cultivation in Afghanistan
"Today, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) released the results of the 2008 U.S. Government Afghanistan Poppy Cultivation and Opium Production Estimate. After two straight years of record opium production, the estimate has found that potential opium production in Afghanistan has declined steeply—by 31 percent—to 5,500 metric tons, down from 8,000 metric tons in 2007. Additionally, Afghanistan's 2008 opium poppy crop decreased by 22 percent to 157,000 hectares, down from 202,000 hectares in 2007. The 2008 cultivation total is also nearly 10 percent below the 2006 level of 172,600."