The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (I.E.A.) announced on July 7, that it has a new five-year plan to support alternative livelihoods for Afghan farmers who stopped growing opium poppy. Cultivation of poppy came down over 95% in the last two harvest years, since the April 2022 ban was announced by the supreme leader of the Taliban.
Ariana News reported July 7 that a special committee is being formed to confer on the implementation of the MAIL plan.
The I.E.A. government has been providing support to farmers, and communities as they switch to other crops, but Kabul is strapped for resources, given the demands for rebuilding the economy under severe conditions of Western sanctions, trade bans, and seizure of its central bank assets.
Eliminating opium poppy growing in Afghanistan is a world benefit, as it accounted for some 80% of supply prior to the 2022 ban by the Afghanistan government.
