阿富汗鴉片生意氾濫成災

As violence surges in Afghanistan, so too does the country's opium business.

隨着暴力事件在阿富汗劇增，鴉片生意也在這個國家扶搖直上。

Last year was the deadliest year ever for non-combatants, with nearly 3,700 killed.

去年，在那些非戰鬥人員中，有近3700人因此喪生，死亡人數是歷年來最高的。

In its latest World Drug Report, the UN says it was also a record year for the area of farmland used to grow opium: 224,000 hectares, which produced 85% of the world's opium and 77% of its heroin.

在最近的世界毒品報告中，聯合國表示，用於種植鴉片的農田面積達到新高：224000公頃的。這些土地生產了世界上85%的鴉片和77%的海洛因。

When cocaine production was at its peak in Colombia in the 1980s, drugs produced 6% of that country's income. In Afghanistan, they generate at least 15%.

20世紀80年代，可卡因在哥倫比亞氾濫成災，當時毒品竟然佔到該國國民收入的6%。而在阿富汗，這一數字至少佔到了15%。

The business thrives on the lawlessness of conflict, which has escalated in Afghanistan along with the withdrawal of a large part of the American-led international forces.

這項生意之所以紅火是因爲在打擊中無法可依，加上美國主導的國際刑警組織撤退造成在阿富汗地區鬥爭不斷升級。

Large-scale poppy-growers often use their connections to keep prying officials at bay.

大規模的罌粟種植者經常利用關係使臥底警察陷入困境。

Eradication efforts thus mainly target poorer farmers. That risks making the violence worse. Desperate farmers stripped of their livelihoods may turn to the Taliban.

這樣一來，根除工作的主要打擊對象就成了貧窮的農民。這種風險讓暴力不斷惡化。而被剝奪生計的絕望的農民，很有可能轉而投身塔利班。