Opium production in Afghanistan has fallen by a third, according to a United Nations report.

BBC: Afghanistan opium harvest drops by a third - UN

Efforts by aid agencies and the UN to stymie opium production seem to have been counter-productive.

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In October 2009 a UN report said Afghanistan's illegal opium production had devastating global consequences.

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This year, however, poppy cultivation and opium production in Afghanistan appears to have decreased sharply .

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This, despite efforts on the part of the United States to sharply limit opium production in the country.

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Three-quarters of global opium production is in Afghanistan, with Myanmar and Mexico making up most of the balance.

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Corruption is rife within all Afghan government organs, and central authority is barely felt in the lawless south and south-west, where opium production rose several hundred percent in provinces such as Farah this year.

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The UN said last week that opium-poppy production has begun to rise again in Myanmar after six years of sharp declines.

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