Farmers plant asafetida at a field in Parwan of Afghanistan, Dec. 7, 2024. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
KABUL, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Working on land along with over two dozen daily laborers in the Bagram district, 50 km north of Afghanistan's capital Kabul, Safiullah Rohani believes that the cultivation of asafetida, commonly known as "Hing," could serve as a viable and profitable replacement for opium poppy in the once poppy-growing country.
"Hing (Asafetida) is the best replacement for poppy in Afghanistan. It is more profitable and generates significantly higher income than poppies," Rohani told Xinhua on his farm recently.
Afghanistan has hugely suffered due to unchecked poppy cultivation and the rising number of drug addicts to about 4 million during the 20-year U.S.-led military presence that ended in August 2021.
The cultivation of poppies and subsequent drug trafficking surged following the U.S.-led invasion in October 2001, and by 2021, Afghanistan was reportedly producing more than 90 percent of the world's heroin supply.
However, poppy cultivation has seen a dramatic decline since the withdrawal of foreign forces and the assumption of power by Afghanistan's caretaker government in August 2021 as poppy cultivation decreased by 95 percent in 2023 following a ban imposed by the administration in 2022.
Despite a recent UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report citing a 19 percent increase in the poppy plantation in 2024, the Afghan caretaker government has reiterated its commitment to eradicating drugs.
The Afghan caretaker administration continues to appeal for international assistance to provide farmers with sustainable alternatives to poppy farming.
Returning to the asafetida plantation has also created job opportunities for the people in Afghanistan as many youths work on the farmland to plant the precious seed.
"We have invested and cultivated asafetida on more than 100 acres of land in Mazar-i-Sharif and 30 acres of land here in Parwan, and about 100 to 200 persons are working with us," said Rohani, managing director of Rohani Company, a local firm investing in asafetida farming.
Each daily worker earns 500 afghani (about 7.1 U.S. dollars), including 150 afghani for lunch a day, Rohani said. Describing his business as highly profitable, he explained that he invested 100,000 afghani (about 1,429 U.S. dollars) in a farm of asafetida and would earn 1 million afghani (about 14,286 U.S. dollars) after two years.
Widely used in medicine manufacturing both domestically and internationally, particularly in India, the plantation of asafetida has been on a constant rise in Afghanistan over the past decade. However, Rohani complained that fragile trade relations, sanctions on the Afghan banking system, and the absence of air trade corridors have hindered the export of this valuable plant.
Nevertheless, Rohani expressed optimism about future exports to China, saying he has sent the samples of asafetida to the neighboring country and is looking forward to exporting his products to China in the near future.
Zainudin, a manager of the daily laborers at the asafetida farm, emphasized the benefits of asafetida cultivation. "This is a good job, as asafetida farming is far more profitable than poppy cultivation, which brings nothing but harm," he said.
As Afghanistan seeks to transition away from its troubled history of poppy production, crops like asafetida offer hope for a more sustainable and prosperous future. ■
This photo taken on Dec. 7, 2024 shows asafetida at a field in Parwan of Afghanistan. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)
