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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Pomegranates and Opium


Information on what the economy of Afghanistan is doing.

Its still primarily opium (and cannabis) but there is the recent revival of a few legal farm products including pomegranates. Pomegranates from Afghanistan are highly valued in that part of the world.

Afghans Expanding Pomegranate Exports
The advances in the pomegranate trade are a sliver of good news from a region of Afghanistan known more for Taliban attacks and a thriving opium trade.

The country produced 8,200 tons of opium in 2007, up 34 percent from last year's record harvest. Farmers this year can make $2,000 on an acre of opium poppies, while wheat yields about $220.

The total value of the opium trade for Afghan farmers this year stands at $1 billion. The value of all of Afghanistan's legal exports in 2006, meanwhile, was $193 million, with animal hides and wool skins topping the list at $21 million.

The program has helped ship 690 tons of pomegranates to India, 600 tons to Pakistan and 36 tons to Dubai, mostly on military flights.

...Kandahar province in 2007 saw a 32 percent increase in the amount of land devoted to poppies.

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