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Press Release
5 February 2008
UK Government welcomes plans for better Afghan livelihoods
Image
courtesy of Jeroen Oerlemans/Panos Pictures
A plan to create more than 2 million jobs in rural businesses, and encourage international military forces to buy goods from Afghan markets are two of the recommendations from a new report published today, to help tackle the farming of opium in Afghanistan.
The joint report, from the World Bank and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), demonstrates that progress has been made in tackling the production of opium in Afghanistan with a doubling in the number of poppy-free provinces last year, but recognises that ending the production of opium is a long term challenge.
The UK continues to support the Government of Afghanistan’s work through the National Drug Control Strategy including providing support to the Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics.
Early indications for the 2008 poppy growing season show sustained reductions in poppy cultivation in the north and east of the country. In Nangarhar Province, the cultivation of poppy is expected to decrease substantially - due in large part to the successful counter narcotics efforts of the authorities.
Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for International Development, said:
“We will study this report as we seek to back the Government of Afghanistan’s efforts to eradicate poppy production and build sustainable alternative livelihoods.”
Notes to editors
The report sets out six priority actions to strengthen coordination in this area, and provide genuine alternatives for rural communities and farmers across the country. These are:
- developing a phased ten-year irrigation programme, costing around $1.2 billion (£600 million), that would improve water supplies to 750,000 hectares and bring new supplies to 150,000 hectares of agricultural land;
- improving returns on livestock through better veterinary services and increasing the value of products through sheep fattening and developing cashmere fibre production;
- working with the Government of Afghanistan, supporting their efforts for the creation and development of small and micro businesses, with the aim of creating 2.1 million long term jobs, 900,000 micro-enterprises and boosting the economy by £2 billion every year;
- getting international organisations, including international military forces, to source goods such as drinking water and construction material from local markets rather than importing them from overseas;
- coordinating work that is improving quality of life in rural areas, such as better roads and better organised markets for goods, with new and emerging forms of community level government to gain maximum effect; and
- supporting the production and marketing of legal crops in Helmand province.
For further information, contact Nic Fearon-Low on 020 7023 0533 or 020
7023 0600, e-mail
pressoffice@dfid.gov.uk or call our Public Enquiries Point on 0845 300
4100.