Consequences of conflict in Afghanistan continues....

The introduction of a certain degree of stability in large parts of the country also facilitated the growth of various kinds of unofficial economic activities, most notably long-distance trade and opium poppy cultivation.

Although these activities had always been present, they underwent unprecedented expansion in the 1990s. Unofficial exports to Pakistan were roughly estimated to have exceeded $2 billion in 1996, and by the late 1990s, Afghanistan had become the largest producer of opium poppy in the world. Also falling in this category of economic activities was uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources—timber, gems, marble and granite, etc.—which have resulted in extensive deforestation and environmental degradation, among other problems.

Moreover, Afghanistan was hit by a severe, protracted drought, which started in 1999. Given the breakdown of the state and civil society, and consequent inability to respond adequately, this drought had led to famine. Crop production had been halved and livestock heavily depleted, more than erasing the modest gains of the early and mid-1990s. Large and increasing numbers of people lost their means of livelihood and became displaced, either internally or to neighboring countries. Malnutrition significantly worsened, and starvation deaths were regularly reported.

Food security situation in Afghanistan remained extremely grim. The impact of the drought, which was serious under any circumstances, had been aggravated by the conflict in parts of the country, and by the poor condition of irrigation systems and other agricultural infrastructure. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) estimate that more than 50 million dollars is needed to tackle the severe drought facing the country. According to the WFP, some 1.4 million Afghans have been affected by continued drought and crop failures.

To be continued......