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Last Updated: Tuesday, 7 November 2006, 23:11 GMT
Afghanistan 'to spray poppy crop'
By Najiba Laima
BBC Pashto/Persian service

A farmer extracting opium from a poppy blossom
Opium poppies are a key source of income for many farmers

Poppy production across Afghanistan has increased by 60% since 2005.





New plans



He said Afghanistan should not become a test ground for western chemicals companies.

The latest announcement is part of a new initiative to curb poppy cultivation to be implemented in the 11 provinces where it is most rife.

Critics of the new strategy say that if it leads to farmers destroying their poppy fields, the government must at the same time move more quickly to provide them with alternative crops and livelihoods.

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