Substituting the opium-producing poppy plant with alternative crops is planned in border regions of Afghanistan to help reduce illicit drug production and trafficking, said Assadollah Hadinejad, deputy head of Iran’s Drug Control Headquarters in International Affairs.
“The project began in 2014 but was discontinued as US troops started withdrawing from the neighboring country, but at a recent meeting between Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and IDCH officials, both sides agreed to cooperate in implementing the plan,” he said, ISNA reported.
Poppy replacement refers to the process of substituting opium-producing cash crops with alternatives. The project will be conducted in Afghan border provinces Herat and Nimroz.
