KABUL (The Guardian) -- Afghan farmers hope to capitalize on soaring food costs by growing wheat instead of poppy crops, with the fall in heroin prices further fuelling the switch.

The price of a ton of wheat in Afghanistan has almost trebled this year, causing acute food shortages. A changeover of crops has begun in key agricultural regions, said Tekeste Tekie, country representative for the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
He said a significant increase in wheat crops is expected from next year’s harvest. “The high price of commodities has encouraged farmers to switch from poppy cultivation to wheat. In fact, we are already seeing evidence of this happening, for instance in the Bamian region, where some farmers have planted half wheat and half poppy crops,” Tekie said.
The growing season runs from November to June in Afghanistan. If wheat prices stay near their current level, supported by regional subsidies, an Afghan farmer can make up to a third more on wheat than poppy by next year’s harvest, according to figures from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Haji Dawood, a farmer who used to cultivate poppy but now farms wheat in the Daman district, near Kandahar in the south, said his family had benefited from the wheat boom. “It’s the first time since I planted wheat that I can afford to feed my family ... it’s going well because the price of opium has come down, and the price for my wheat has gone up. Each new season we get more money from the crop than from the previous one,” he said.
Mir Dad Panjsheri, the chief adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture, said some regions from the south may be off limits because of instability. “We expect a more than 30% increase in wheat crops next year in places like Kunduz, Baghlam and Faryab. But the Taliban stronghold areas remain (key locations) for poppy farming ... most farmers there are afraid to start planting wheat yet,” he said.
Panjsheri said farmers may be put off by difficulties in getting their crops to market. “Some roads are dangerous, not just because of the Taliban, but there are other problems like bandits, who may try to rob your money on your way back from the market. The Taliban can offer protection if you are selling poppies,” he said.
Critics say international initiatives on poppy eradication have been too focused on trying to stop the Taliban’s key source of funding. Yet these efforts have not helped the Afghan farmers become more self-sufficient.
“Not enough money has been devoted into developing a decent agriculture sector. We need millions, if not billions, more in this country,” said one non-governmental organization executive, who preferred to remain anonymous.
“It’s a cruel twist of irony that when the British forces were deployed in Helmand ... poppy eradication was one of the key priorities, but it is the global economic situation that is doing the job for them.” -