Can Afghanistan economy thrive without poppy?
Why does the Afghanistan economy matter to the world? Let’s do the math. President Hamid Karzai, backed by NATO commanders, says the country needs 400,000 Afghan soldiers and police to defend itself. That would cost about $10 billion annually. Afghanistan’s current budget: $1.1 billion. And $400 million of that comes from foreign donors. To close that gap, Afghanistan cannot rely on the current dynamo of its economy a ” poppy. While it accounts for nearly 30 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, and 90 percent of the world’s heroine, it’s unlikely to ever be legalized and, therefore, taxed. On Wednesday, the government launched a massive poppy eradicationA program, starting in the south.
