(16 May 2023)
AFGHANISTAN COTTON
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
LENGTH: 3:02
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nadali district of Helmand, Afghanistan - 13 May 2023
1. Various of farmer Dost Mohammad working in his farm
2. SOUNDBITE (Pashto) Dost Mohammad, farmer:
"What I want to say is that there should be help for the needy and poor (farmers), and transparency and order should be maintained. The (Taliban government) made promises to provide us with alternatives to opium cultivation, but they have yet to fulfill these promises."
3. Various of Mohammad working
4. SOUNDBITE (Pashto) Dost Mohammad, farmer:
"What we request is for them (Taliban government) to offer us an alternative source of income or some form of compensation in lieu of opium cultivation. If they keep their promise, we'll be content. Otherwise, God forbid, we may be forced to return to opium farming to feed our children."
5. Various of young farmers cultivating cotton
Lashkargah city of Helmand, Afghanistan - 14 May 2023
6. Qasem Riaz, Helmand Taliban official, in his office
7. Soundbite (Pashto) Mohammad Qasem Riaz, Helmand Taliban information and culture department official:
"The governor of Helmand, along with all provincial authorities, recognizes the problem. Following the governor's directive, the commerce department has held discussions with cotton traders and farmers. There's another meeting planned to further explore this issue and to identify potential markets for the cotton traders and farmers."
8. Bags of cotton stacked
9. Various of cotton trader Esmatullah Khan putting cotton inside bag
10. SOUNDBITE (Pashto) Esmatullah Khan, cotton traders:
"The profit margins are slim. One bag of fertilizer costs between 1,800 - 2,200 (Pakistan rupees, $6-$8), and a tractor operator charges 6,000 (Pakistan rupees, $2) just to plow one acre. Add to that the need for 40 solar panels for irrigation - it leaves us with no real benefit. A sensible person works to turn a profit. As for what the future holds or doesn't hold, only Allah knows."
11. Various of trucks loaded with cotton bags
STORYLINE:
Former Afghan poppy farmers and traders in Helmand say that growing cotton is not a viable substitute for their former livelihood.
The country's ruling Taliban announced a ban on poppy cultivation in April last year, in an effort to stop the flourishing opium trade.
Farmers were warned by the Taliban that their crops would be destroyed and they could face imprisonment if they continued with the harvest.
Dost Mohammad, a former poppy farmer, said that Taliban authorities had promised to provide them with a profitable alternative.
"But they have yet to fulfill these promises," he adds.
The ban has dealt a severe blow to millions of impoverished farmers and day laborers who depend on the proceeds from the crop, which is used to make heroin, to survive.
"If they keep their promise, we'll be content. Otherwise, God forbid, we may be forced to return to opium farming to feed our children," Mohammad says.
The ban was implemented just as Afghanistan’s economy collapsed, after being cut off from international funding in the wake of the Taliban takeover.
With most of the population struggling to afford food, and the country suffering its worst drought in years, the situation is dire. Cotton, a water-heavy crop, is proving a poor replacement, some farmers and traders say.
Mohammad Qasem Riaz, a Taliban official from Helmand, says the governor and other officials are aware of the issue and have started discussions with the farmers.
AP video shot by Abdul Khaliq Kandahari
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