Brits are cheating Afghan poppy growers!
The British government pledged to pay Afghani
opium poppy growers to destroy their crops -- then reneged on
payment.
The British government has failed to honor its pledge to compensate Afghani farmers for eradicating poppy crops, causing widespread anger in the volatile south of the country and leading to increased support for Taliban insurgents, a new report by the Senlis Council think tank claims.
Based on interviews with farmers in the Helmand province, where 3,300 British troops will arrive over the coming months, the group claims that U.K. counter-narcotics officers promised local farmers $350 for every fifth of a hectare of poppies they destroyed.
“These farmers kept their side of the deal and eradicated their crops, but the British Government did not keep their word,” said Mohammad Gull, a local representative from the Sharwali District in Helmand who was involved in the initial negotiations with the British representatives. “In our culture this is very dishonorable and we are very angry.”
“The farmers of Helmand province are telling us that they mistrust the British and that they are angry at not being paid as promised,” said Executive Director Emmanuel Reinert. “This makes the latest British plan for securing Helmand a military and political fantasy. They will not gain support from local farmers due to the wholesale elimination of any good will for the British presence there as a result of this bad debt.”
The think tank, which also has offices in Brussels, Paris and London, favors a policy of licensing opium crops for medicinal use, as in many Western countries. If regulated strictly, the group says the policy could lead to cheaper morphine supplies for developing countries, steady incomes for Afghan farmers and less heroin in European and American cities.
New Zealand opium farmers average $50K/yr. growing for pharmcos. Seems a lot more reasonable than keeping Afghan farmers part of the local criminal class.
Posted: Tue - March 28, 2006 at 02:49 PM