'OPIUM RAIDS' IRK AFGHAN FARMERS

The Afghan government is hoping to wean farmers off poppy crops Opium
producers in eastern Afghanistan have been protesting after
drug-eradication raids on their fields.

They say they have not been adequately compensated for the destruction
of their poppy crops.

In recent months, counter-narcotic officials have warned that opium
production in Afghanistan will be the highest it has been for years.

Afghanistan is the source of the majority of the world's heroin.

Opium which is used to produce heroin was virtually eliminated by the
Taleban but production is now flourishing.

This year, the yield is expected to be 20% higher than last.

In recent weeks, there have been several government raids.

The opium farmers protesting in the eastern Afghan province,
Nangarhar, say they have received little compensation for the
destruction of their fields.

For many, cultivating poppies is the only way to provide for their
families, from land where little else will grow.

Lucrative business

Afghan President Hamid Karzai acknowledges that as his government
attempts to eradicate opium farmers must be dealt with in a different
way to the military commanders who profit from the drugs trade.

"We have a plan to distinguish between the warlords that are
cultivating lands with poppies and the poor farmers. The plan of
destruction is taking this into account," he said.

"Poppy production goes against nation-building. It goes against the
building of institutions in Afghanistan. We must rid this country of
poppies."

But this illicit business generates over $2bn annually, in a country
with few other sources of income.

Last week, the international community pledged billions of dollars to
Afghanistan over the next three years.

If poppy is to be eradicated here that commitment will have to
continue for many years to come.