§ Mr. CatonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the timetable is for elimination of poppy production in Afghanistan; and what strategies are in place to fill any loss to local economies caused by the eradication of opium production. [127131]
§ Mr. RammellThe Afghan Transitional Administration adopted a national drug strategy on 19 May 2003. Its objective is to eliminate the cultivation, processing and trafficking of illegal drugs in Afghanistan within 10 years. The UK has committed £70 million over the next three years to fund activities that will contribute to achievement of this objective.
However, sustainable reductions in the Afghan drugs trade will be achieved only as progress is made on broader development and security. The UK is leading a Provincial Reconstruction team in Mazar-e-Sharif and has pledged £200 million of development assistance to help create the conditions in which viable alternatives to poppy cultivation can emerge.