Opium production in Afghanistan hits record high: UN

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan

Opium production in war-ravaged Afghanistan has reached a record high in 2017, rising 87 percent compared to the previous year, a survey jointly conducted by Afghan government and the UN revealed.

Findings of the ‘Afghanistan Opium Survey 2017’ by Afghan Ministry of Counter-Narcotics and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) were shared with the media in the Afghan capital on Wednesday.

Key findings of the study reveal that despite persistent efforts by the Kabul government and its western backers, area under opium poppy cultivation has increased by 63 percent since 2016, reaching a new record high with 87 percent increase in potential production of opium.

The study has stated that the total area under opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan was estimated at 328,000 hectares in 2017, a 63% increase or 127,000 hectares more compared to the previous year.

This level of opium poppy cultivation is a new record high and exceeds the formerly highest value recorded in 2014 -- 224,000 hectares.

Southern Helmand remained the country’s major opium poppy cultivating province, followed by Kandahar, Badghis, and Faryab provinces.

In 2017, the study stated, the number of provinces affected by opium poppy cultivation increased from 21 to 24.

In a news conference, Jawed Ahmad, director for the Ministry of Counter-Narcotics, said the growing insecurity in the restive areas have fuelled the growth in poppy cultivation. “97 percent of the poppy has been cultivated in the southern, northern and eastern areas where security threats are high”.

Brig. Mohammad Arif, Afghan author and an expert on security affairs, told Anadolu Agency that the weakness in the government’s writ is one of the reasons behind this spike in poppy cultivation.

“The Taliban and pro-Daesh militants and other groups have always been looking for avenues to make money… Defiance against the law by the local warlords and rising demand in the international market are fueling the increase in poppy cultivation”, he said.

According to the study, there is no single reason for the massive 2017 increase in opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, but rule of law-related challenges, such as political instability, lack of government control and security, as well as corruption, have been found to be main drivers of illicit cultivation.