Roses In Afghanistan ** Was: Perfume Instead of Poppies in Afghanistan

[Guest guest]

Howdy Anya,

 

> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91118514

>

> --

> - perfumes, aromatics,

> classes, consultation

>

>

>

>

 

Another post that interested me .. thanks much. :-)

 

There is no doubt that the potential for creation of another major

source of Damask Rose (Rosa damascena) exists in Afghanistan .. not

just for perfumery but for sale of the EO for other purposes.

Reasons for this are: (1) Afghanistan has a history of growing

Damask Roses for oil production .. it was just never commercialized

to a point that they could export .. their oils were village cooked

and purchased on site by Arab buyers .. and (2) Where Opium Poppies

grow well .. Damask Roses grow well.

 

The problems in creating an industry in Afghanistan now are fairly

obvious .. the enemies of Rose growers and distillers are the Taliban

and .. the corrupt government!

 

Some years ago I consulted and provided raw materials (aromatics in

the form of roots and cuttings) for a Rose project in Madagascar ..

paid for by the U.S. Agency for International Development. As a

result of this and the link on my web site I was contacted around

2003 (?) or so to do the same thing in Afghanistan.

 

I advised them of the security risks, and the exact requirements to

create a profitable commercial enterprise .. the number of hectares

of land, expected yield, size of the distillation facility, road

networks and time elements and how long they would have to wait to

make a profit .. all that good stuff plus more.

 

The person who contacted me was an Aide to President Karzai .. the

Asian Development Bank (ADB) was to fund the project. I got a team

of Turkish experts together (growers, distillers and the producer of

large stills) and then submitted a cost and operational project in

writing .. and it was accepted. We were scheduled to visit the

planned location (Kandahar) that Fall and assist them in planting

Turkish roots and cuttings .. and the engineer would provide guidance

on construction of a power supply and a fixed facility to house the

distillation systems he would create in Turkey and then ship to and

install in Afghanistan.

 

The Aide assured me that security was not a problem and it was then

that I began to realize that they were not dealing with reality.

 

Then the Aide began to drag his feet on payments .. he guaranteed (in

the President's name) that we would be paid but still there was a

lotta talk but no cash transfers. To make a long story short ..

after giving them a heckuva lotta Pro Bono consulting .. we finally

got word that the project was canceled because the Taliban had

regained strength in the area that we were to start the program in ..

and the ADB then refused to finance it. I later learned that the

Aide and some of his political cronies had decided to kick off the

project as a personal endeavor .. but they didn't have the cash to

make it happen and evidently Karzai was not willing to foot the bill.

 

Around a year later I get another contact .. from an American lady

who " worked " for Land O' Lakes .. Sarah Chayes .. she was putting

together a milk co-op. A Kook Kat and a Gutsy Lady Sarah was and it

was obvious (to me) that the position she operating in was really a

cover position for other operations. I am even today convinced that

she worked for the U.S. State Department and had access to Department

of Agriculture Emerging Market Funds. She wanted to pick up where

ADB left off. We jokingly named the project " Guns & Roses. " Since

that time there have been dozens and dozens of articles written on

Afghanistan and Roses and pretty much all of them use this handle ..

even some of them are U.S. government articles. ;-)

 

To make another story short .. Sarah and I corresponded for a year or

so and then she was " transferred " to some other location .. suddenly

her e-mail address was no longer valid. My opinion was that the U.S.

gummit considered the project a bad risk .. some friends in D.C. said

they thought I had guessed correctly.

 

Sarah's story is here

http://chayes.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/07/17/guns-and-roses/

 

Shortly after losing contact with Sarah I got the 3rd contact .. a

French dude who " claimed " to be working for the ADB. It was obvious

from the git go that he was full of Bovine Excrement .. he knew the

Aide and disliked him .. said he and a bunch of folks from France

wanted to kick off the project and wanted us to work with them on a

percentage basis. My dealings with him were short lived .. like two

or three e-mails and a couple of phone calls .. and again, the

project did not go forward.

 

I HOPE that Afghanistan will recover from the problems they have had

to live with since the beginning of recorded history .. Afghans are

some of the toughest folks I have ever met and they deserve better

than what they and their forefathers have had to put up with. But

until the Islamic Extremists can be controlled there will be no

chance for a profitable Rose oil production industry there. Opium

Poppy production is more than just a livelihood for farmers there ..

its THE major source of income for both the Taliban and various

traditional War Lords who control the locals .. if someone tries to

reduce the acreage of Opium Poppy production by substituting Damask

Roses, if they are lucky they risk having their fields and

distillation facilities destroyed .. and it can happen in one night.

If they are not lucky they lose their life .. that would convince

others that its not a great idea to cross the guys who have power.

Regardless of what went down .. there would be no chance of bringing

the bad guys to justice and the little folks know that. The problem

is .. that the bad guys are too often the good guys in disguise.

 

I am glad to be out of the international goat rope business .. I did

a lotta crazy things and had a heckuva lotta fun for a lotta years

when I was single but now I have a family again and I am perfectly

happy being a boring, bib overall and work boot wearing, catfish

cathing, Tennessee Hill Billy feller .. my only enemies now are

Copperheads and the U.S. Gummit. ;-)

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-)

 

Butch .. http://www.AV-AT.com