KABUL, 18 December (IRIN) - In a bid to curb poppy cultivation, the government of Afghanistan has warned farmers that it could spray poppy fields if other ways are not successful.This year,
only 10 percent of the total 165,000 ha under cultivation was eradicated, while the total area planted was up 59 percent compared to 2005. The impoverished Central Asian state produces more than 90
percent of the world opium, according to Afghan Ministry of Counter Narcotics (MCN)."We could use ground spray when it's needed," said Minister for Counter Narcotics Habibullah Qaderi in the Afghan
capital, Kabul, on Sunday.The initiative comes after John Walters, Director of the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, warned last week in Kabul that Afghanistan could turn into a narco-state
unless dramatic steps were taken toward eliminating poppy cultivation. Walters called for spraying poppy cultivation in the country."The government will continually monitor the progress of
eradication around the country, through the use of advanced technology, and on the ground verification. We will react to situations as they occur," Qaderi elaborated.Commenting on this, Adrian
Edwards, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) spokesman remarked: "We have not got a particular view on ground spaying and it has not been our favourite option. We do suggest
alternatives to this.""If there is eradiation than you need to find alternative means so the people can not only make a living, [but] families can have sufficient food and means of making a living,"
Edwards told IRIN.Governors from the 12 largest poppy growing provinces in Afghanistan came to the capital on Sunday to finalise eradication plans with the ministries of interior and
counter-narcotics. The governors came from Balkh, Nangahar, Kunduz, Farah,Ghor, Uruzgan, Zabul, Badakshan, Baghlan, Samangan, Sar-i-Pal, and Helmand provinces.Warnings were also given to the
governors that if there is evidence that officials have been involved in bribery or corruption related to eradication, they would be dismissed from their jobs and prosecuted, Ministry of Interior
officials said.SM/JL/DS
