Opium Is Back in Afghanistan — The Diplomat

The much-hailed ban on drugs by the Taliban since April 2022 notwithstanding, opium production in Afghanistan is again on the rise. The latest findings of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on opium production in Afghanistan are revealing. The era of Taliban success in controlling and diminishing opium production seems to be over. To the contrary, production has jumped fivefold in a year, with a new growing area away from the traditional southwest. Behind the steep rise are intertwining stories of international demand, desperation and adaptation by poverty-stricken farmers, and the failure not just of the country’s de facto authorities but also of the international community to keep production low. The latest UNODC report highlighted how, despite claims of the eradication of 22,000 hectares of poppy this year by the Taliban, the area planted grew by 330 percent to more than 43,000 hectares, up from about 10,000 hectares in 2025. Estimated production also rose by 400 percent, from about 300 tonnes to just under 1,500 tonnes. The report pointed to the role of poverty and lack of alternative crops in driving the increase, forcing farmers to adopt innovative methods to evade Taliban scrutiny. With opium stockpiles fast emptying due to constant demand from Europe, and a lack of any other country capable of filling supply needs, a…