Afghanistan: Afghan Province Begins Push to Discourage Poppy Cultivation

Jul 28, 2018 | Sayed Salahuddin, Arab News
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Helmand has long been the major narcotics-producing province in Afghanistan due to protracted war and chronic poverty. Most of the income from the multi-billion-dollar trade ends up in the pockets of dealers and the mafia, rather than helping poor communities and farmers economically. So authorities and locals have begun a drive to replace opium poppies with trees such as pistachio, citrus and date, which have markets at home and in the region.