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In Yemen's towns and cities qat is, with tobacco, the biggest single item of household expenditure and takes up around a third of all cultivated land in Yemen.
Jump to full article: Electronic Telegraph (uk), 2009-11-24
Author: Mohamed Hasni, in Sana'a
Intro: Yemenis gather at a shop selling qat, a mild drug used daily by most Yemenis, at a market in Sana'a. Photo: AFP
For Yemenis, the mild narcotic qat is as much a part of life as an after-dinner drink in the West and, as with brandies, connoisseurs want the best varieties. But the trees that produce the most sought-after leaves are in a war zone.
Mohammed Ahmed Ghanem runs a stall selling qat in the Yemeni capital's upscale Kuwait market. Prices for an afternoon's worth of the stimulant leaves can run anywhere between $2 (£1.20) and $100 depending on quality.
But the very best, known as shami, is no longer available, Ghanem acknowledges ruefully.
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