Anti-opium strategy going in the right direction

The Afghan government with help from the United Nations, and other countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom is trying to greatly lessen or completely remove Afghanistan’s dependence on opium farming. To achieve this goal, the players involved are shifting the anti-opium strategy. Before the focus was heavily dependent on eradication, now the strategy will also involve interdiction and alternative agriculture. There will be much more effort in assisting Afghan farmers with planting alternative crops, including cereals. According to a report published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), opium production in Afghanistan has fallen from 8,200 tonnes in 2007 to 6,900 tonnes in 2009.