[Field Story] The seriousness of Afghanistan's poppy and opium industries

Afghanistan is a country that produces 90% of the world's poppy and opium production.

As the U.S. military withdraws its military forces from Afghanistan, there is great interest in the production and trade of poppy (opium), also known as the 'flower of death.'

Afghanistan's drug trafficking organizations have enormous quantities and even control prices.

The amount is so enormous that Afghanistan is called the ‘OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) of the drug world.’

In 2015, as Sunni fundamentalist IS clashed with the Taliban, as they increased its dominance over Afghanistan's drug industry, Afghanistan and neighbouring countries were keenly aware of the situation of those fighting over poppies.

And now that the Taliban has taken power, the reality is that the vicious cycle of financing the Taliban in the form of military funds continues.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Afghanistan is known as a country that produces 90% of the world's poppy, or opium, production.

During the democratic government of Afghanistan, an anti-drug campaign was implemented from the government to the private sector, but the area under poppy cultivation is actually expanding.

In 2013, the poppy cultivation area was only 209,000 ha, but it has now expanded to 342,000 ha.

This is about 40% of the entire territory of Afghanistan, which is larger than the area of the Korean Peninsula.

The United States has so far invested $8.4 billion to eradicate poppy cultivation and drug production in Afghanistan, but production is expected to reach its highest level this year.

With the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan from the beginning of this year and the departure of US and NATO forces, the Taliban engaged in fighting with the Afghan government forces and began encroaching on poppy cultivation areas. With the fall of Kabul, the possibility of poppy cultivation becoming legal increased.

And about 46% of opium is produced in the Pashtun region, a Taliban stronghold in the southern region.

Although it is cultivated under the control of the Taliban, it is relatively easy to farm and is much more profitable than regular crops, so farmers also prefer it.

The main reason for the increase in area and yield is that farmers are completely dependent on the improved productivity of opium and the high profitability of the crop.

However, Afghanistan's drug industry, which has been led by the Taliban until now, has recently faced a different situation.

In 2015, IS was threatening the Taliban by taking the lead in Afghanistan's drug industry, and this year, there is a possibility that the Taliban will take full control and legalize it.

According to an official from the Afghanistan Modernization Institute, in an interview with local media in Kazakhstan, “The Taliban, who are at the forefront of Afghanistan’s drug industry, will soon legalize the sale of opium to revive the national and local economy.”

He went on to say that he is concerned that the Taliban's expansion of profits is due to its plan to take the lead in the drug industry and boost the national economy by expanding its financial power, making transactions by large-scale criminal organizations inevitable sooner or later.

Local officials are predicting that the Taliban will expand its influence to each extreme fundamentalist group within a few months by trading in 30-35% of Afghanistan's total drug industry profits.

As Afghanistan's poppy production market expands, the people who suffer are none other than Afghanistan's farmers.

Due to the prolongation of the war in Afghanistan that began in October 2001, the entire economy was destroyed, leaving Afghan farmers with no way to survive.

Accordingly, drug lords were extending a tempting hand to Afghan farmers, and the Taliban waged a guerrilla war with the United States, financing a significant amount of its war expenses through the distribution of opium.

However, the biggest problem is that Afghan farmers are poor and have no one to rely on.

To them, the democratic government and the current Taliban government are in fact nothing more than nameless institutions.

Taliban drug dealers rent farming equipment to farmers and also lend them production costs.

Of course, the seed price or rental cost is deducted from the poppy sales proceeds during the harvest season.

It is a type of poppy consignment farming structure. According to the Associated Press, the reality in Afghanistan was revealed by saying, “If you don’t grow poppies, your children will have nothing to feed you but air.”

For Afghan farmers who need to feed and clothe their children right away, poppies are almost the only source of income.

Since Afghanistan's opium is exported all over the world, countries around the world that are fighting against drugs are also on high alert.

Opium produced in Afghanistan is mainly flowing into Europe through Central Asia and Turkey, and has recently been flowing into Spain, Portugal, and Italy through Iran, Egypt, and Morocco.

In addition, it is being smuggled into the United States via Africa through drug gangs, and is in the unfortunate situation of being distributed all over the world, from the United States to

Mexico, Central and South America, Colombia, and Peru.

And the situation in Afghanistan is more worse than this.

As the largest producer of poppies, Afghanistan is also overloaded with drug addicts.

Source: Break News

About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’. ‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.“ ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied. (Acts 22:6-8)

Afghanistan is a country where poppy production accounts for 90% of the world.

On top of that, there is a possibility that the Taliban, which has the initiative in Afghanistan's drug industry, will soon legalize the sale of opium and there are even predictions that within a few months, each extreme fundamentalist organization will have a wider their influence.

As the largest poppy producer, Afghanistan is flooded with drug addicts, and Afghan farmers suffer more as the poppy production market expands.

God, Afghanistan is your country that you created and built.

Among them, the people who are living in full of pain are also you people.

We believe that the light of the gospel shines brighter in the middle of the complete darkness.

The people will love only Yeshua because there is no hope for anything else in the world.

Meet these people who are in pain as if Saul, who had persecuted those who believed in Jesus, had suddenly seen a great light from heaven and heard the voice of the Lord.

Tell them, “Afghan, Afghan, why are you persecuting me”, and lead them to salvation.

Let those who are saved by God's powerful grace overflow the land, and let the Church of Afghanistan testify to the gospel everywhere in Afghanistan only by the power of the Holy Spirit, making the land, the land of hope.