Opium
latest news & developments
Afghanistan’s poppy fields bloom
It is not clear yet whether the Taliban government will clamp down on the illicit trade
Myanmar’s opium farmers cling on to lucrative crop
In 2018, the area of opium poppy cultivation in the country dropped by 10% to 37 300 hectares from the previous year
Guns and roses: Afghan farmers enjoy sweet smell of success
‘The roses are much better… I make good money from roses. They are resistant and don’t require as much expense or work’
UN: Opium growth increasing in Myanmar, Laos
Opium cultivation is back on the rise in Myanmar and Laos, with impoverished farmers lured by higher prices, according to a United Nations report.
UN plans for a ‘flood of drugs’
United Nations officials in Afghanistan are attempting to create a ”flood of drugs” in the country intended to destroy the value of opium.
Afghanistan jails SA man for 16 years over heroin
An Afghan court sentenced a South African man to 16 years in prison for trying to board a plane at Kabul’s international airport with a bag of heroin.
Helmand’s fields yield a bumper opium harvest
Figures from the United Nations to be released this week are set to reveal that opium production in the southern regions of Afghanistan has soared/