More poppies in Afghanistan than in Colombia Corina Ciubotaru

Even though it's being torn apart by war, Afghanistan is a country that goes about its routine and is getting better at it every day. Recently, the southern province of Helmand came into worldwide attention once again when it became the biggest opium producer in the world. Did you think Colombia was the drug capital of the world? Helmand now produces more opium than Colombia, Bolivia and Peru combined, about 193,000 hectares being cultivated this year. And don't be fooled into thinking the people had no alternative for growing crops, the land in this southern province is among the most fertile in the country. It's a question of choice; the UN countries have poured billions of dollars into changing people's habits, but growing poppies remains a big source of income for Talibans. Other regions of Afghanistan are doing better though, as the northern part of the country has increased the number of provinces clear of opium from 6 to 13. The strange part of this story is that worldwide demand for opium hasn't increased recently, so Afghanistan is building stockpiles of the narcotic, probably to finance future terrorist acts. 50 laboratories are used in Helmand alone to convert all that opium into heroin and plans to spray the cultivated areas with herbicides aren't much to the liking of locals who fear the chemicals would endanger the health of their families. British troops are concentrated in the southern part of Afghanistan and are mainly responsible for the peace-keeping efforts and general well-being of the region.

related story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6965115.stm

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.

These news are original content from young talents around the world and are selected for you by Chris Cantell.

edited by Tatiana Kucharikova