World News for Students of English

08-04-2022 15:00

Afghan farmers collected their first opium harvest of the season in the southern province of Helmand, despite Taliban’s ban on narcotics farming.

Taliban also strictly banned the export and production of any intoxicants, such as wine, heroin, or cannabis.

Each year, workers from all around the country gather in Helmand for the harvest season. First, they make small cuts on the poppy pods in the afternoon, and the next morning, they collect the opium, that comes out of the pods. Each worker is paid six dollars per day during the 15-days harvest season. One kilogram of opium is sold for 68 to 114 dollars, depending on the quality.

According to reports, Afghanistan continues to be the world’s largest producer of opium, and the production of the narcotic contributed up to 11% to the country’s economy.

Difficult words: opium (a bitter brownish drug that comes from the juice of the opium poppy), narcotic (an illegal drug such as heroin or cocaine), intoxicant (a substance that makes feelings of pleasure or happiness).

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