Opium cultivation quadruples despite Taliban ban

The Taliban authorities claim to have destroyed more than 22,000 hectares of poppy fields.The Afghan interior ministry rejected the UN figures, saying eradication operations had reduced cultivation to "nearly zero".

Poverty has pushed farmers back towards the lucrative crop, particularly in northeastern Badakhshan province, now Afghanistan's main opium-growing region.UNODC Executive Director Monica Juma said the surge demonstrated the difficulty of sustaining reductions in illicit cultivation when farmers lacked alternatives.

A hectare of wheat generated just over $770 in 2023, compared with $10,000 for poppy, according to UNODC.The agency estimated that sustainable alternative livelihoods would require approximately $500 million, but only 10% had been funded.

It stressed that farmers also needed irrigation, roads, storage facilities and access to markets.UNODC called for international cooperation to address drug production.

Opium cultivation quadruples despite Taliban ban AFP | Updated 44 seconds ago | UN says output rises fivefold to 1,500 tonnes in a year.