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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Answer

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of how much heroin was produced in Afghanistan in each of the last three years; how much of that was exported to the UK in each year; what estimate he has made of each figure for the current year; and if he will make a statement. [200029] Mr. Rammell: The UK, as lead nation, is committed to supporting the Afghan Government in the implementation of their comprehensive National Drug Control Strategy. I refer my hon. Friend to the written statement I made on Afghanistan: Counter Narcotics on 29 November 2004, Official Report, columns 17-18WS. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conducts an annual survey into the level of opium poppy cultivation and production in Afghanistan. According to the survey, the potential opium production in each of the last three years was estimated as follows: tonnes _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Production 2001 185 2002 3,400 2003 3,600 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. The low tonnage in 2001 followed the highest ever recorded production figure in 1999 of 4,600 tonnes and 3,300 tonnes in 2000. In 2001, the Taliban banned cultivation. This ban was enforced with a combination of fear and bribery. It drove up the price of opium and the drug trade profited from increased prices for supplies from opium stockpiles. There are no reliable figures as to how much of that opium is processed into heroin within Afghanistan. Results of this year's survey showed that potential opium production was 4,200 tonnes. We estimate that approximately 25 to 30 tonnes a year of heroin is smuggled into the UK, that over 95 per cent. originated from Afghanistan and that it would require some 250 to 300 tonnes of opium to produce this amount of heroin. Working to eliminate opium production is vital for Afghanistan's future. As the UN survey makes clear, the challenge is substantial and complex.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

200029; 428 c891-2W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Crops Exports Drugs Afghanistan Heroin Opium

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

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