Just 5% of Afghan Opium Fields Remain

Afghanistan's opium production has plummeted following a ban put into place by the Taliban in 2022, according to a new United Nations report. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) found that the total area used for opium poppy cultivation shrank by 20% in the past year, while overall opium output fell by 32%. Prior to the ban issued on religious grounds, Afghanistan accounted for more than 80% of the world's opium supply, feeding 95% of Europe's heroin market. More than 230,000 hectares were dedicated to poppy cultivation in 2022. The latest estimate puts that figure at just 10,200 hectares, mostly in the country's northeast, per the BBC.

The report highlights that four provinces previously known for poppy farming—Balkh, Farah, Laghman, and Uruzgan—were declared opium poppy-free this year. The UNODC said this "near elimination of cultivation from traditional strongholds" shows the scale and durability of the Taliban's ban, despite the country's ongoing economic hardship. Opium poppy remains far more lucrative than legal crops, and more than 40% of available farmland is now lying idle due to a lack of profitable alternatives and poor climate conditions. Farmer revenue has been nearly cut in half this year, per Al Jazeera.

Enforcement hasn't been without conflict. The UNODC said the Taliban's destruction of opium fields has sparked violent resistance in some areas, particularly in Badakhshan province, where clashes led to casualties. Even so, most farmers remain compliant, faced with what they describe as a stark choice between poverty and punishment. "If we violate the ban, we face prison. If we comply, we face destitution," one farmer told the BBC, adding that he'd mull returning to poppy cultivation if conditions don't improve. The report warns the reductions could also bring new attempts at illicit opium cultivation in other countries, per Reuters.