Afghan Heroin Production At All-Time High, UN says

Heroin production in Afghanistan reached a new high in 2007 despite global efforts to battle the menace, the International Narcotics Control Board said Wednesday in its annual report.

According to the United Nations agency, Afghanistan produced an "exceptional quantity" of opium, at 8,200 metric tons, 34% more than in 2006.

The country now accounts for 93% of all opiates on the global market, the report added.

"The illegal cultivation of poppies for opium in Afghanistan...has reached a deeply worrying level despite the efforts of the (Afghan) government and the help of the international community over the last five years," the Vienna-based organization said.

Poppy production was up 17%, covering 193,000 hectares with a corresponding rise in yields from 37 kilograms a hectare to 42.5 kilograms.