Helmand and opium

An article about a program to substitute wheat for opium in Helmand and the corruption associated with it. The program is called "Food Zone" and is funded by the British-led Provincial Reconstruction Team, PRT, in Helmand, which provided close to US$13 million for the project last year. In November and December 2008, the Food Zone programme provided 32,000 farmers in Helmand with 3,200 tonnes of wheat seed, plus fertilizer and technical assistance. This is intended to boost wheat production ahead of what is expected to be tough winter of food shortages in Afghanistan. Governor Mangal has also used the scheme to tackle the province's narcotics industry, by securing the written agreement of every farmer who received the wheat seed not to grow opium poppy.