HL Deb 23 February 2005 vol 669 c200WA
Lord Acton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

According to the United Nations annual poppy crop survey in Afghanistan, what was the level of opium poppy cultivation and production in hectares and tonnes in Afghanistan in each year from 2000 to 2004. [HL1282]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conducts an annual survey into the level of opium poppy cultivation and production in Afghanistan. It has reported levels of cultivation and production since 1999 as follows:

Hectares Tonnes
1999 91,000 4,600
2000 82,000 3,300
2001 8,000 185
2002 74,000 3,400
2003 80,000 3,600
2004 131,000 4,200

The UNODC figures for 1999, 2000 and 2001 were recorded under the Taliban regime. The low level of cultivation and low production figure in 2001 reflect the Taliban ban on opium cultivation; the ban did not however address the underlying causes of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, which was enforced with a mix of threat and bribery and drove up the price of opium, benefiting those with opium stockpiles.