5 publishers · first seen Thu, 29 Oct 2026 07:54 UTC · updated Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:42 UTC
Opium production in Afghanistan has increased fivefold in 2026, rising from 300 tonnes to 1,500 tonnes, according to a UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report. Cultivation expanded by 330 per cent, reaching more than 43,000 hectares, up from 10,000 hectares in 2025. The rise marks the first significant increase since the Taliban banned poppy cultivation in April 2022, shortly after seizing power in August 2021.
Farmers are reportedly concealing poppy plots within cereal fields or walled compounds to evade detection, driven by deepening poverty and lack of alternatives. The UNODC attributed the surge to economic hardship, with opium generating far higher income than legal crops. Prices dropped slightly from $570 to $500 per kilogramme but remain well above pre-ban levels of under $100. The agency called for international support to provide livelihoods and dismantle trafficking networks, while noting that current levels are still below those before the ban.
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