UN: Ex-Opium farmers need Aid
The United Nations says Laos needs economic assistance to support farmers facing poverty after the eradication of almost all opium production. In a country that was the world's third- largest opium producer in the mid-1990s, only about 1,800 hectares (4,446 acres) of land in Laos was used for opium cultivation last year compared with 26,800 hectares in 1998 . Aid projects to Laos include $18.4 million for a three-year program that will create alternative activities for farmers.
