What the UN survey found
Afghanistan opium production climbed about five times over the past year, according to a United Nations drugs survey released on Thursday, the first clear rebound since the Taliban outlawed poppy growing in 2022. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which tracks narcotics crops worldwide, estimated the harvest at just under 1,500 tonnes, up from around 300 tonnes.
Poppy fields expanded by roughly 330 percent, covering more than 43,000 hectares against nearly 10,000 hectares the previous year. Both the acreage and the yield still sit well under pre-ban highs, when about 232,000 hectares were planted. For years Afghanistan supplied most of the world’s illicit opium—about four-fifths of global output before the ban.
Ban, enforcement and how growers adapt
The Taliban took power in August 2021 and, in April 2022, banned poppy and other narcotics on religious grounds. Officials say they destroyed 22,000 hectares of poppy this year. UNODC reported that many rural households still plant in ways that dodge checks: small patches tucked into grain fields or behind compound walls, and staggered sowing and harvest dates.
UNODC Executive Director Monica Juma said the sharp rise in cultivation shows how hard it is to lock in lower illicit planting when poor farmers lack other ways to feed their families. She called on the de facto authorities and foreign partners to back rural livelihoods, farm infrastructure and market access.
Where the crop has moved
Growing was recorded in 16 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces—five more than a year earlier. About three of every four planted hectares now lie in the northeast, which has become the main belt. Before the ban, the southwest dominated.
Farm-gate prices eased from about $570 a kilogramme last year to around $500, yet remain far above the under-$100 levels seen before the prohibition. UNODC noted that wide regional price gaps could spur trafficking from the northeast toward the southwest.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- August 2021: The Taliban take control of Afghanistan.
- April 2022: Poppy cultivation and narcotics are banned on religious grounds.
- 2025: Planted area stood near 10,000 hectares; production was around 300 tonnes.
- 2026 (this year’s survey): Acreage exceeds 43,000 hectares; estimated output nears 1,500 tonnes—still far below the pre-ban peak of about 232,000 hectares.
- Same survey period: Taliban authorities report clearing 22,000 hectares; poppy appears in 16 provinces, mostly in the northeast.
The agency said traffickers in the region had drawn on stored opium to keep trade flowing after the ban, but seizure patterns suggest those reserves are shrinking. The 2026 World Drug Report also pointed to early signs of tighter heroin supply in Europe. With demand steady and prices still elevated, thinner stocks could push Afghanistan opium production higher again. Juma urged joint work to probe and disrupt cross-border trafficking rings. UNODC said further monitoring will show whether this year’s spike is a one-off or the start of a wider return.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Afghanistan mein afyun ki paidawar ek saal mein lagbhag paanch guna barh gayi hai, UN ke mutabiq. Taliban ne 2022 mein poppy per pabandi lagayi thi, lekin ab phir kheti badhi hai. Pehle se bohot kam hai, lekin prices ab bhi oonche hain. Pakistan ke liye yeh is liye ahem hai ke border ke paar se nasha ki tijaarat ka dabaao badh sakta hai.
