Afghanistan opium crop cultivation rises 36 per cent, production up 49 per cent

Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan rose 36 per cent in 2013, a record high, according to the 2013 Afghanistan Opium Survey released today in Kabul by the Ministry of Counter Narcotics and UNODC. Meanwhile, opium production amounted to 5,500 tons, up by almost a half since 2012.

Calling the news "sobering", Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of UNODC, stressed that this situation poses a threat to health, stability and development in Afghanistan and beyond: "What is needed is an integrated, comprehensive response to the drug problem. Counter-narcotics efforts must be an integral part of the security, development and institution-building agenda".

The area under cultivation rose to 209,000 ha from the previous year's total of 154,000 ha,

Afghanistan opium crop cultivation rises 36 per cent, production up 49 per cent

So, as various countries begin or continue preparations for pulling out of Afghanistan we see another increase in opium production.

Of course this could be due to various different factors, but the most telling part of the UNODC piece for me is this part:

"As we approach 2014 and the withdrawal of international forces from the country, the results of the Afghanistan Opium Survey 2013 should be taken for what they are - a warning, and an urgent call to action," said the UNODC chief.

This "urgent call to action" appears to be a political statement put forth with a view to sway public opinion into accepting continued military presence in Aghanistan.

After all, the corporations mining (robbing) the country's mineral wealth will still need protecting, and although warlords are regularly bought off (and supplied with arms etc by "contractors" ), they are not reliable and can just as easily attack and destroy convoys for their own political ends.

We'll see over the next few months in the way this information is published and brought into the public arena what the real plan is.

My opinion is this is just phase 1 of a concerted effort to continue the occupation.

What the hell, i thought burning poppy fields suppose to reduce production! this goes against Physics!

Oh oh! i think someone is not doing something they are suppose to!

If production is that good, and it's in a US occupied country, why isn't it sold to the medical community? Opiates are useful, and needed in hospital setting.

I wonder where the hospitals/pharmacuetical companies get their supply from.
?

snowspirit
If production is that good, and it's in a US occupied country, why isn't it sold to the medical community? Opiates are useful, and needed in hospital setting.

I wonder where the hospitals/pharmacuetical companies get their supply from.
?

Possibly because the CIA sell the opiates to fund black operations that are "off the books"?

The CIA (and others) have been doing this since their formation, so it's hardly a new thing.

well the russians did ask the us to stop
and the us said no

The Hidden Military Agenda is to Protect the Drug Trade

www.globalresearch.ca...

If folks still think we are in Afghanistan to protect ourselves against terrorism & fight the Taliban.....crawl out from under the rock that you live and smell the opium.....I can in my minds eye see a strict Marine Colonel standing in the poppy fields and saying"...".I love the smell of opium in the morning" It was never about terrorism ever.

reply to post by openyourmind1262


Don't forget the mineral wealth already being mined.
That's a pretty big consideration as well.

In fact I think it was Kissinger who said that mineral wealth would be the reason the west fought wars.
Although of course war for resources is nothing new, it's never been done on this scale or in such open view before.

is'nt the drug trade one of the biggest in the world? 'nuff said already...
As was said above, if anyone thinks USA troops are there to protect their freedom at home, their deluded.
Afghanistan was always about oil, drugs and something top secret hidden in caves.
The heroin trade is too big for uncle sam to ignore. All that money to be made would easily pay for black ops etc.
Remember their involvement in the coc aine trade a few years ago? Prob still at that too.
Grow more poppies, make more heroin, ship it back home, make a few billion dollars.
Grow more coca, make more coc aine, ship it back home, make a few billion dollars.
Theres no way uncle sam would ignore those profits

reply to post by snowspirit

I wonder where the hospitals/pharmacuetical companies get their supply from. ?

They create synthetic replacements.


through research and lab testing they (scientists/researchers) will break down every component needed to create the drugs and find/develop synthetic replacements so as to not require a dependence on supply from places such as Afghanistan.

reply to post by InhaleExhale


Of course, can't patent the natural drugs. So they get the natural form outlawed, or defacto outlawed, come up with the only legal lab-made alternatives that can be patented, and they are rolling in the money for it. Meanwhile the CIA and such are raking in the black funds dealing in the real deal.

reply to post by budski


under nato protection industry is thriving, finaly a sign of progress.

if any sane person understand why nato is in afganistan, the briefing would be stupendous.

imo, it's a permanent chaos 'till the imperial occupation leave, and maybe after.

nothing sane seems to be occuring there now.

luciddream
What the hell, i thought burning poppy fields suppose to reduce production! this goes against Physics!

Oh oh! i think someone is not doing something they are suppose to!

Well they originally went after the poppy fields and did destroy much of the growth but due to destroying the livlihoods, particularly of the Northern Tribes, they quit after the first couple of years.

This rise in agriculture is not really what it appears to be because its simply a case of production returning to what the original levels were. Its not a net increase from say 10 years ago, just an increase from around 5 years ago back to normal levels.

Contrary to popular ATS belief, the CIA is not running the opium trade out of Afghanistan, its the normal everyday farmer.

reply to post by Spookybelle


Who do you think is the middlemen? Or do you really think these farmers are also refining, producing and smuggling finished product into the "western world"?

good all the more junkies to rob what are they going to do phone the police .

do unto others as they would do unto you but do it first .

one balaclava one stun gun then sit back and watch the war of blame erupt [ priceless ]

TKDRL
reply to post by Spookybelle

 

Who do you think is the middlemen? Or do you really think these farmers are also refining, producing and smuggling finished product into the "western world"?

No the farmers are not the middle men but there are people there that make up the entire chain of distribution that have been operating long before the CIA was even developed. They did not just sweep in and take everything over. Even the British have writings referencing the opium trade when they were discussing where to draw the Darden line.

This whole process was completely gutted as soon as the US military went in however and now its being rebuilt. Its fun to think how the CIA is this world drug smuggler but they really aren't.

Look at Frank Lucas, the top heroin kingpin in the US back in the day who set up trade in the Golden Triangle from middlemen himself. The CIA was nowhere around that and if they can't even infiltrate the second highest producer how are they going to get into the first, which is far more established.

The reason that poppy destruction didn't work is because the farmers refused to cooperate with US directives to plant other seeds so why are they all of a sudden going to start using them to sell their product also when they already have established methods in place?

They aren't.

reply to post by Spookybelle


Reasonable points, but completely overlooking the obvious fact that if the CIA can get involved in making money for blackops or whatever, then they will.

History shows that they have been involved in plots far less complex than a bit of drug running.

And let's not forget the added bonus that drugs keep the corporate prisons nice and full for the modern version of slavery.
Everybody wins - or at least the type of people to whom this is important win, whilst the populace looks the other way and pretends it could never happen.

reply to post by budski


Of course production is up.

They have the U.S. military protecting their poppy fields.

budski
reply to post by Spookybelle

 

Reasonable points, but completely overlooking the obvious fact that if the CIA can get involved in making money for blackops or whatever, then they will.

History shows that they have been involved in plots far less complex than a bit of drug running.

And let's not forget the added bonus that drugs keep the corporate prisons nice and full for the modern version of slavery.
Everybody wins - or at least the type of people to whom this is important win, whilst the populace looks the other way and pretends it could never happen.

edit on 13/11/2013 by budski because: (no reason given)

I understand that and I've no doubt they are involved in various sorts of activities but many assume that the drug kingpins are just going to throw up their hands in a billion dollar profit industry and say, "gosh the CIA are here now so I guess that's it, let's go home."

Not going to happen.

For the CIA to take over, or even get heavily involved in operations that pre-date them would be extremely bloody and would hardly be kept a secret. They couldn't even force a few hundred farmers in Afghanistan to do what they wanted and these men weren't armed.

People attribute far too much power to the CIA than they actually have. They couldn't even hide the fact that they were selling missiles to Iran to fund their little project for very long before someone blew the whistle on them yet people think they have the ability to run the drug trades of the world and keep it a secret?

Its a conspiracy for a reason you know.

reply to post by Spookybelle


Did you ever stop and think, that maybe, oh maybe, some of those kingpins and the "intelligence agency members" are one in the same? Perhaps that is why a lot of these kingpins are practically untouchable, not by local, federal, or even interpol. At least until they have grown to big on their own, or outlived usefulness. Like the old time Italian Mafia. It became more profitable to deal with mexican cartels, so Italian Mafia were cut loose, no more protection. You could easily be a CIA asset and a kingpin, cartel leader etc.

The "intel agencies" don't have to follow the rule of law. They have taken part in straight up assassinations, breaking laws like trafficking is child's play compared to that.

TKDRL
reply to post by Spookybelle

 

Did you ever stop and think, that maybe, oh maybe, some of those kingpins and the "intelligence agency members" are one in the same? Perhaps that is why a lot of these kingpins are practically untouchable, not by local, federal, or even interpol. At least until they have grown to big on their own, or outlived usefulness. Like the old time Italian Mafia. It became more profitable to deal with mexican cartels, so Italian Mafia were cut loose, no more protection. You could easily be a CIA asset and a kingpin, cartel leader etc.

The "intel agencies" don't have to follow the rule of law. They have taken part in straight up assassinations, breaking laws like trafficking is child's play compared to that.

edit on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 15:17:59 -0600 by TKDRL because: (no reason given)

Yes but to do that on a sustainable daily basis in not logical.

What would the need be that would require such a great risk? Can you imagine the backlash if this were ever exposed? The entire CIA would probably have to be shut down. And the Kingpins are hardly untouchable, there is a long list of them being sought after, usually killed, by not only various governments but by competition also.

Look at Pablo for as an example.

Just simply beyond realistic but it is a fun conspiracy to ponder about. Unfortunately its not grounded in reality whatsoever.