---

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Answer

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the amount of heroin (a) produced in Afghanistan and (b) exported to the UK from Afghanistan in each year since 2000; what the estimate is for 2003-04; and if he will make a statement. [141351] Mr. Rammell: Afghanistan is the source of 95 per cent. of the heroin exported to the UK. There are no reliable figures for the level of heroin production in Afghanistan. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) does however conduct an annual survey into the level of opium poppy cultivation and production. It has reported levels of cultivation and production since 2000 as follows: _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Hectares Tonnes 2000 82,000 3,300 2001 8,000 185 2002 74,000 3,400 2003 80,000 3,600 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. The low level of cultivation and low production figure in 2001 reflect the Taliban ban on opium cultivation; the ban did not however address the underlying causes of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan and was enforced with mix of threat and bribery. In March 2004 the UNODC will publish an Opium Rapid Assessment Survey for Afghanistan. This will give an early insight into the pattern of opium poppy cultivation for the 2003-04 growing season.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

141351; 415 c241-2W;415 c241W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Crops Drugs Production Smuggling Afghanistan Heroin Opium

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk