ISLAMABAD, July 19: Federal Minister for Narcotics Control Ghous Bux Mehar Wednesday said that poppy cultivation in Pakistan had reduced from 7,000 hectares to 3,000 hectares as a result of the government’s drive against drug-trafficking.

The minister said the cultivation area would be reduced to as low as 1,000 hectares within a year and soon Pakistan would be declared a poppy-free country.

He was speaking at a press briefing after returning from Moscow where he attended a regional conference on drug- trafficking issues.

The minister informed the media persons that during the conference it was decidedto stem the menace of drug-trafficking and poppy cultivation through regional cooperation.

The conference recognised Pakistan’s contributions to minimizing poppy cultivation and drug-trafficking.

The government was planning to provide alternative sources of livelihood for the people depending on poppy cultivation. In this regard a national plan has been prepared to provide tube wells and agricultural equipment free of cost to the people living in such areas, Mr Mehar said.

He said over 247 heroin-manufacturing laboratories had been destroyed and no other such laboratory had been left in the country.

Disclosing statistics, the minister said that according to the national survey on drug abuse there were 3.01 million drug abusers in the country.

Chronic drug users fell in the age category of 15 to 45 years according to 2,000 survey and they number 500,000.

Mr Mehar said that the government was also placing restrictions on import of chemicals which could be used in manufacture of heroin.