United Nations, Oct 30: Warning that opium production in Afghanistan is on the rise again, the United Nations has called for "major surgical drug-control measures" to reverse the trend. A survey released by the world body said the area under opium cultivation jumped by eight per cent this year alone compared to the last year. It rose to 80,000 hectares from 74,000 hectares and consequently production went up six per cent to 3,600 tonnes from 3,400 tonnes. This amounted to about three-quarters of the world production.
The UN estimates that the total income from farming and trafficking of opium this year may equal about half of Afghanistan's Gross Domestic Product. The trend needs to be checked otherwise, the "drug cancer" will keep spreading and breed corruption, violence and terrorism," the survey said.

Afghanistan harvests three-quarters of world opium that is turned into illicit drugs, the profits from which in part sustain terrorists.

Praising the steps taken by the Hamid Karzai government that has banned opium production and set up a counter-narcotic directorate, the world body said the drug cartels threaten to undermine the efforts to promote democracy and rule of law. Bureau Report