Afghan drug crop down almost 40%

Afghan President Hamid Karzai today said the cultivation of opium poppies in Afghanistan was down by between 30% to 40% from last year and appealed for more foreign aid to help impoverished farmers switch to legal crops.

Karzai said the estimate was based on surveys from the United Nations and British officials, who were helping Afghan authorities mount a crackdown. UN officials have said they won’t release estimates of the crop for several months.