Despite Taliban Ban, Afghanistan Opium Poppy Cultivation Area Increases by 32%

More Citizens Sustain Livelihoods by Cultivating Poppies Amid Economic Hardship and Drought
Taleban Implements Total Ban on Poppy Cultivation... Crackdown Expected to Intensify

[Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lee Gyehwa] On the 1st (local time), foreign media including AFP reported that the cultivation of poppies, which are used as raw materials for opium, has significantly increased in Afghanistan, expanding the cultivation area. Afghanistan produces 85% of the world's opium.

The Islamic militant group Taliban, which controls Afghanistan, issued a complete ban on poppy cultivation in April this year. However, this year was recorded as the third year with the largest cultivation area since monitoring of poppy cultivation began in Afghanistan in 1994. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the size of Afghanistan's poppy cultivation area this year is 233,000 hectares, a 32% increase compared to the previous year.

In terms of revenue, it also recorded the highest ever. The income earned by Afghan farmers from opium sales this year reached $1.4 billion (about 2 trillion KRW), more than tripling from $425 million (about 600 billion KRW) last year. Although opium production was estimated at 6,200 tons, a 10% decrease from the previous year due to drought, opium prices rose sharply after the Taliban announced the ban on poppy cultivation.

Farmers cultivate poppies, the raw material for opium and heroin, instead of wheat. Poppies require less water than other crops and can be harvested just five months after planting. Also, when processed into opium, it can be stored for years without refrigeration. This is the background for its higher profitability compared to other crops. Moreover, since the Taliban took power, various Western sanctions, nationwide civil war, economic hardship, and drought have overlapped, greatly increasing the number of people sustaining their livelihoods through poppy cultivation.

The Taliban is also known to have not properly cracked down on poppy cultivation since regaining power in August last year. This is because the entire nation has been suffering from the worst economic hardship. However, since the supreme leader has issued a ban, it is expected that the crackdown on poppy cultivation will be strengthened going forward.

UNODC reports that Afghan farmers are now facing a situation where they must decide whether to proceed with cultivation despite the ban as the poppy sowing season arrives this month. According to foreign media, a farmer cultivating poppies in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, said, "Other crops are not profitable," and "I cannot give up poppy cultivation to support my family's livelihood."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.