For the first time in many years the production of wheat in Afghanistan is surpassing the production of poppies used to make heroin -- partly due to Canada's leadership in the region, said Defence Minister Peter MacKay on Thursday.
MacKay was speaking from NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium one day after meeting with defence ministers from nations involved in front-line fighting in the south of Afghanistan.
MacKay said the ministers discussed how to make the most of the 21,000 new U.S. troops that will be joining the fight.
"We talked a lot about the incoming surge of American forces, the impact that will have, the need to co-ordinate what we're doing in that region," MacKay said.
"That includes such things as border management and obviously a great deal of emphasis on the building of the capacity of the Afghan national army and police and to ensure that we're going to have continued presence in the projects and programs we're delivering."
The meetings came in the same week that Pte. Alexandre Peloquin, 20, was killed by an explosive device in Afghanistan.
MacKay pointed to the Dahla Dam project, which is allowing local farmers to irrigate their fields and crops, as a sign that Canada's contribution is making a difference. That work is only possible because Canadian troops provide security and protection -- sometimes at a high cost, he said.
"We're seeing for the first time in Afghanistan in many, many years, that wheat production is surpassing poppy production, and their ability to feed themselves (is growing)," MacKay said.
"We're also seeing education and the building of schools, the immunization of children. All of this is enabled by the soldiers, the security they provide, and men such as Peloquin who gave his life."
In Brussels, NATO allies will be discussing the problem of piracy off of Somalia and the African coast, as well as Afghanistan's border issues with Pakistan.
U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday that NATO allies agreed with the U.S. that progress must be seen in Afghanistan over the next year-and-a-half.
He said he hopes this summer's election in Afghanistan will be a key turning point.
"If we can show we're making progress, if we're heading in the right direction, the American people and the Congress will sustain this effort," Gates told reporters travelling with him from the Netherlands to Brussels.
"But if in a year or so it appears we are in a stalemate and we're taking even more casualties, that patience would wear thin pretty soon."
