Opium production has increased dramatically in Afghanistan According to a new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna, opium production has increased by 400% since 2025 - in 2026 43,000 hectares were planted with opium poppies, while a year ago - only 10,000 hectares. In fact, the volume of the product produced has increased from 300 tons last year to 1,500 tons this year. In 2022, the Islamic extremist Taliban movement, which came back to power in Afghanistan, banned the production of opium. As the document notes, despite the increase, poppy plantations still occupy much smaller areas compared to the 200,000 hectares before the Taliban ban. Meanwhile, the income of middlemen in the opium trade reaches 525 million euros and is about the same as before the Taliban's opium ban, the UNODC report said.

Opium production has increased dramatically in Afghanistan According to a new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Vienna, opium production has increased by 400% since 2025 - in 2026 43,000 hectares were planted with opium poppies, while a year ago - only 10,000 hectares. In fact, the volume of the product produced has increased from 300 tons last year to 1,500 tons this year. In 2022, the Islamic extremist Taliban movement, which came back to power in Afghanistan, banned the production of opium. As the document notes, despite the increase, poppy plantations still occupy much smaller areas compared to the 200,000 hectares before the Taliban ban. Meanwhile, the income of middlemen in the opium trade reaches 525 million euros and is about the same as before the Taliban's opium ban, the UNODC report said.