JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Poppy crop has been destroyed on 500 acres of land in seven districts of eastern Nangarhar province as part of an campaign, an official said on Tuesday.
The illicit crop is cultivated in 14 districts of the province this year —Surkhrod, Khogyani, Rodat, Ghanikhel, Lalpora, Nazian and Khiwa, Nangarhar counternarcotics chief Idrees Sapai said.
He told Pajhwok Afghan News the anti-poppy campaign had been ongoing over the past two weeks and the aim was to destroyed the plant on 15 hectares of land.
Ashaqullah Saddat, the Khiwa’s district chief, said poppy crop was eradicated on 12.5 acres of land in Bodiali area of the district during the ongoing campaign.
He said the National Directorate of (NDS), police and other security forces were part of the drive.
Attaullah Hadawal, Kama district’s chief, assured the counternarcotics head of supporting the anti-poppy campaign in his district.
A local farmer Sayeda Jan, who has cultivated his one acre with poppy, urged the government to help them switch to legal crops.
pk/ma
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