Criticism of the Taliban on the non-cooperation of international organizations for alternative cultivation of poppy

According to the report of the regional office of Tasnim news agency, “Sadr Azam Osmani, deputy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Animal Husbandry of the Taliban ruling body in Afghanistan, in a meeting with Soraya Bozurkova, deputy of the United Nations Development Program, criticized the non-cooperation of international institutions for the alternative cultivation of poppy in Afghanistan.

According to the announcement published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock of the Taliban government, Osmani said in this meeting: We prevented the cultivation of poppy, but the international institutions have no real cooperation with the farmers regarding cultivation. They didn’t have poppy.

He added: We want cooperation in this direction so that farmers don’t turn to poppy cultivation again and we introduce and support them as an alternative.

Othmani continued: The administrative cost of the projects is very high, we ask the international institutions and organizations to implement the budget specified by the donors with full transparency and the expenses abroad and to limit their administration.

The deputy of the United Nations Development Program also said in this meeting: We have come to find a solution in coordination with you; I agree that transparency and justice should be considered in the use of the budget, we also want the aid money to reach the people of Afghanistan, especially the farmers.

According to the new report of the office Drugs and Crime UN, poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has decreased by about 95% following the drug ban imposed by the Taliban authorities.

According to this report Following the unprecedented decrease in poppy cultivation, the income of farmers from the sale of opium products to traders has decreased from one billion and 360 million dollars to 110 million dollars in 2023, which shows a 92% decrease.

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