Roses and opium in Afghanistan

The fields surrounding the village of Pucha Kala (Five Houses) in Afghanistan used to be filled with opium poppies. The flowers stretched as far as the eye could see. But times have changed. Pucha Kala is in Nagahar province, and its governor has put an end to drugs production.

The policy has been called revolutionary. Nowhere else has it been possible to stop the lucrative opium trade in this way. Two Dutch researchers, Tom Kramer and Martin Jelsma, are investigating Afghan drugs policy for Amsterdam’s Transnational Institute. They know the area well but are not convinced that the success will last.

“Just two years ago, this whole valley was full of opium poppies," says Tom Kramer.

"It’s all gone now. Over the last few years, the governor has been pushing for an end to opium farming. He has held talks with tribal leaders and offered them help, either aid programmes or cash, in exchange for their co-operation. It remains to be seen whether this will prove a real success story. It’s about what happens in the long term. We’re going to talk to local farmers about their problems and how they see the future. Let’s walk up here.”

Perfume industry

Halfway up the hill from Pucha Kala, we come across Dauwa Jan. He’s a brisk man in his thirties and says he started growing opium when he was young. He now grows roses in his fields. The petals go to make oil for the perfume industry in Western countries. Despite the fact that a few drops of rose oil are worth a lot of money, he regrets the loss of his poppy fields.

“Yes, you just earned more with the poppies.”

What makes matters worse is that the farmers never got the help they were promised. The governor threw millions of US dollars around, but corrupt local officials just lined their pockets with the money.

The Dutch researchers worry that Dauwa Jan may go back to growing opium. Even if he has to do it in secret. He shakes his head anxiously:

“We couldn’t do that. The penalties are too harsh. The government has warned that my house would be torched and that I’d get a 20,000-dollar fine.”

Not poor

Personally, this particular farmer seems to have fared badly under the anti-opium policy, but his village does not look poor. There are lots of animals to be seen and children are running round. Researcher Martin Jelsma:

“This is an example of a village where farmers haven’t received personal compensation, despite having been promised 300 dollars if they agreed to stop growing opium poppies. They have suffered a considerable loss of earnings. However, this village has obviously profited from projects for the community as a whole, such as electricity and a water pump. The standard of living has clearly been raised, but without providing higher earnings for farmers and their families. This is a village that has done well because it’s in a productive part of the valley, with enough water. There are lots of villages that haven’t fared nearly so well.”

Tom Kramer says opium poppies are still grown widely in Uruzgan province, where Dutch troops are stationed. He thinks it is a good thing that a policy of burning the opium fields has not been implemented. However, the cultivation of alternative crops is not being introduced quickly enough. He and his colleagues from the Transnational Institute believe that the Dutch troops will leave poppy fields behind them when they eventually pull out of Afghanistan.
 
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