Afghan government rejects UN statistics on poppy cultivation The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has claimed that the area under poppy cultivation in Afghanistan will increase fivefold in 2026 compared to last year. Abdul Mateen Khan, a spokesman for the Afghan government's interior ministry, denied the figure, saying it did not match official information and assessments on the ground. He added that more than 26,000 dunams of poppy land had been cleared this year and called on the United Nations to clarify the sources and methods for calculating opium cultivation and production statistics.

Afghan government rejects UN statistics on poppy cultivation The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has claimed that the area under poppy cultivation in Afghanistan will increase fivefold in 2026 compared to last year. Abdul Mateen Khan, a spokesman for the Afghan government's interior ministry, denied the figure, saying it did not match official information and assessments on the ground. He added that more than 26,000 dunams of poppy land had been cleared this year and called on the United Nations to clarify the sources and methods for calculating opium cultivation and production statistics.