Economics Nawa-I-Barakzayi District



an afghan farmer passes through vehicle checkpoint.



mujahideen commander mullah mohammad nasim akhundzada, based in musa qala in north, first issued fatwa legalizing poppy cultivation in helmand province in 1981. after victory on government forces, akhundzadas turned nawa-i-barakzayi 1 of afghanistan s top opium-producing areas: in 1994 farmers in district cultivated estimated 6,074 hectares of poppy, or 8.5% of afghanistan s total. under taliban rule, nawa-i-barakzayi s opium production plummeted low 505 hectares in 1996, although steadily increase throughout late nineties. resurgence of taliban in 2005/2006, opium cultivation explode in district, hitting 10,168 hectares of poppy (or 6% of afghanistan s total). nad-i-ali , nahri sarraj districts had higher levels. has made nawa-i-barakzayi district central hub in opium , heroin trade. 1 local dealer allegedly moved poppy heroin-producing labs far away badakhshan , takhar provinces.








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