The United Nations has announced that the area under poppy cultivation in Afghanistan will more than quadruple by 2026, despite the ban imposed by the Taliban government, and opium production will increase fivefold.

The United Nations has announced that the area under poppy cultivation in Afghanistan will more than quadruple by 2026, despite the ban imposed by the Taliban government, and opium production will increase fivefold.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) announced Thursday that the area under poppy cultivation in Afghanistan will increase from 10,000 hectares to 43,000 hectares in 2025, and opium production will increase from 300 tons to 1,500 tons.

The Taliban government banned poppy cultivation in 2022, leading Afghanistan to lose its position as the world's largest opium producer to Myanmar.

🔸However, widespread poverty and the lack of alternative sources of income forced a number of Afghan farmers to resume poppy cultivation.

According to United Nations data, in 2023, the income from growing one acre of wheat in Afghanistan was about $770, but one acre of poppy was about $10,000.