Press Release

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(Washington, D.C.)—Today, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) released the results of the 2008 U.S. Government Afghanistan Poppy Cultivation and Opium Production Estimate. After two straight years of record opium production, the estimate has found that potential opium production in Afghanistan has declined steeply—by 31 percent—to 5,500 metric tons, down from 8,000 metric tons in 2007. Additionally, Afghanistan's 2008 opium poppy crop decreased by 22 percent to 157,000 hectares, down from 202,000 hectares in 2007. The 2008 cultivation total is also nearly 10 percent below the 2006 level of 172,600.

The 2008 estimate reports that opium poppy cultivation has been nearly eliminated in most of Afghanistan's North and East. There are now 18 poppy-free provinces in Afghanistan as compared to 15 in 2007, and 12 in 2006. In fact, today's opium poppy crop is now isolated in Afghanistan's South and Southwest, with 93 percent of Afghanistan's opium crop confined to just five southern provinces, and 29 of 34 provinces are poppy free or have low levels (less than 6,000 hectares) of poppy cultivation this year. Helmand province remains the center of gravity and accounts for over 60 percent of the poppy cultivation.

John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy and President Bush's "Drug Czar" stated, "Afghanistan needs peace, a flourishing economy and the rule of law to succeed as a democracy. Each of these conditions is undone by narcotics production. That is why today's news is so encouraging to the people of Afghanistan. Afghanistan has been victimized for too long by the violence, misery, and addiction caused by the illegal drug trade. We look forward to continuing cooperation with the Government of Afghanistan and our allies as we work to defeat the narcotics industry and the terrorist groups that rely on the drug business to kill innocent people and attack democracy and freedom across the globe."

These major declines in Afghanistan's heroin trade are a result of strong governance and enhanced security. Specifically, strong leadership, internal security, and incentives for growers are cited as the factors that have led farmers to seek alternative livelihoods. In fact, the overwhelming majority of the country's poppies are now only grown in five provinces in the South and Southwest, where the insurgency is most active and the central government authority is the weakest.

The U.S. Government continues to implement and refine its five-pillar strategy for combating narcotics in Afghanistan, paying particular attention to provinces of concern such as Helmand. The Public Information pillar focuses on convincing Afghans to reject opium poppy cultivation and trade. The Alternative Livelihoods pillar efforts, spearheaded by USAID, establish economic alternatives to poppy cultivation. The Eradication pillar centers on discouraging poppy planting, and eradicating those fields when prevention is unsuccessful. Efforts under our Interdiction pillar focus on building Afghan capacity to destroy drug labs, seize precursor chemicals and opiates, and arrest major traffickers. The Law Enforcement/Justice Reform pillar assists the Afghan Government in building its capacity to arrest, prosecute, and punish traffickers and corrupt officials.

For more information, please visit www.WhiteHouseDrugPolicy.gov