Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Tom Riley / Rafael Lemaitre 202–395–6618

Friday, November 28, 2003

(Washington, D.C.)—The annual U.S. Government estimate for opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is complete and shows that approximately 61,000 hectares of poppy were cultivated during the crop season in 2003. Current cultivation levels equate to potential production of 2,865 metric tons of opium, an increase of 1,587 metric tons over the 2002 level.

A challenging security situation on the ground in Afghanistan during the past year has complicated significantly the task of implementing counternarcotics assistance programs and will continue to do so for the immediate future. A more stable environment will facilitate such programs, which have stabilized or reduced cultivation where they have been attempted, as in Nangarhar and Helmand provinces.

We are working closely with the United Kingdom, which is leading the coordination of international counternarcotics assistance to support the Afghanistan government, to implement a strategy that focuses on four key elements: promoting alternative livelihoods for farmers; strengthening drug law enforcement, interdiction and eradication programs; supporting capacity building for Afghan institutions; and raising public awareness to promote the central government's anti-drug policies and tackle drug use and production.

"Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is a major and growing problem," said John Walters, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). "Drug cultivation and trafficking are undermining the rule of law and putting money in the pocket of terrorists. The drug trade is hindering the ability of the Afghan people to rebuild their country and rejoin the international community. It is in the interest of all nations, including our European partners, to help the Karzai government fight the drug trade."

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conducted its own estimate of Afghanistan poppy cultivation, which was released on October 29, and showed only an eight percent increase to 80,000 hectares from the 2002 estimate of 74,000 hectares last year. The UN estimate uses a different survey methodology, employing a mixture of ground surveys and analysis of commercial satellite imagery. U.S. Government estimates are based on a scientific sample survey of Afghan agricultural regions conducted with specialized U.S. Government satellite imaging systems.

Summary of Key Findings: Poppy cultivation for 2003 was estimated at 61,000 hectares, compared with 30,750 in 2002; 1,685 in 2001; 64,510 in 2000; and 51,500 in 1999. Opium production for 2003 was estimated at 2,865 metric tons.