| Afghanistan is the source
of the majority of the world's heroin.
Opium, which is used to produce heroin, was virtually
eliminated by the Taleban, but it's now flourishing.
This year, the yield is expected
to be twenty per cent higher than last.
In recent weeks, there have been several government
raids. The opium farmers protesting in the eastern Afghan
province, Nangarhar, say they have received little compensation
for the destruction of their fields. For many, cultivating
poppies is the only way to provide for their families, from land
where little else will grow.
The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, acknowledges that as his
government attempts to eradicate
opium, farmers must be dealt with in a different way to the military
commanders who profit from the drugs trade. But this illicit
business generates over two billion dollars annually, in
a country with few other sources of income.
Last week, the international community pledged
billions of dollars to Afghanistan over the next three
years. If poppy is to be eradicated here, that commitment will
have to continue for many years to come.
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heroin: a very powerful, addictive
and illegal drug that some people take for pleasure
virtually: almost entirely, very
nearly
flourishing: growing
the yield: the crop
government raids: entry without
warning, and often by force, to look for opium
compensation: money
cultivating: growing
eradicate: wipe out, eliminate
illicit business generates: illegal way of making money
pledged: promised
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