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Either Afghanistan destroys opium or opium will destroy Afghanistan, President Hamid
Karzai has warned. As this survey shows, we are coming dangerously close to the second option.
This year, opium cultivation rose to 165,000 hectares, a 59% increase over 2005. An
unprecedented 6,100 tons of opium has been harvested, making Afghanistan virtually the sole
supplier to the world. “Revenue from the harvest will be over three billion dollars this year,
making a handful of criminals and corrupt officials extremely rich" Mr Costa said. "This money is
also dragging the rest of Afghanistan into a bottomless pit of destruction and despair."