Afghanistan is notoriously famous for its opium poppy cultivation and harvest. Last year, a United Nations report stated that the 2022 opium crop in the nation was the most profitable in years with cultivation up by nearly a third.
The data was also significant as it was the first since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. The hardline Islamist regime banned all cultivation of opium poppy and all narcotics under strict new laws in April 2022.
But when the ban was announced, the world didn’t take it seriously as there were concerns about the nation’s dire state and urgent need for financial resources, with the opium trade being a moneymaking source.
The recent trend shows how the Taliban adopted a relatively gradual approach to tackle the drug problem in the country, unlike how they implement sudden and harsh rules when it comes to women and their rights.
The results show that the Taliban have been successful at least in this area as there’s a significant drop in opium production in Afghanistan. It is a massive feat as the country supplies around 80 per cent of the world’s opium. Let’s get deeper into this trend to understand the current situation.
A report it is said that satellite imagery and recent reports show an almost 80 per cent fall in the opium crop in the south and southwestern provinces of Afghanistan.
It was also acknowledged by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in their latest World Drug Report, which highlighted the noteworthy development, but also warned against the attendant risks that this poses for drug smuggling and the increased use of synthetic drugs.
On one side it is a moment to commend the authorities to hold a grip on the production of this illicit drug, but it is also essential to understand the implications of these developments.
The world must focus its attention on how the opium ban will affect Afghanistan and should decode both sides – the economy’s and people’s livelihoods and the Taliban’s control of the country.
In countries such as the United States, opioids have also been increasingly abused, leading to widespread addiction issues. The trade of poppy tar, which is a psychoactive substance in heroin, is very lucrative worldwide.
Reduction of opium production in Afghanistan
A report was published by Alcis, a British geographic data firm, in which it was mentioned that there has been a 99 per cent reduction in poppy farming in the southern province of Helmand, considered to be the heart of the opium industry.
David Mansfield, who is an expert on Afghanistan’s illicit economy and researcher on the Alcis report, predicted that at least 80 per cent of poppy production will be eradicated this year in the nation.
Why is it challenging?
The ban on opium cultivation will impact the farmers if this crisis hit the nation. Now, the Taliban will have to find an alternate source of revenue for the 450,000 people who would have been employed by the opium industry, as well as the $1.3 billion in predicted lost farm income.
The Taliban can be commended for its solid approach to tackling the drug issue in the country as it aspires to get global recognition but has it led to massive concerns for farmers?
Taliban’s history with opium production
Analysts have said that the Taliban were mainly successful in eradicating poppy agriculture at the end of their first administration from 1996 to 2001. But when they were deposed by the US-led invasion in 2001, they began funding their resistance with a crop levy.
In 2016, opium production generated over half of the Taliban fighters’ earnings, a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.
The UN said that by 2020, which was the last full year of the Western-backed government’s authority, around 85 per cent of the world’s opium was flowing out of Afghanistan.
Moreover, the opiate economy was expected to account for between 9 and 14 per cent of Afghanistan’s GDP the following year.
Watch this report:
The southern districts of Kandahar and Helmand have long been the core of production. Last year, a grace period was agreed upon as the ban was announced when the harvest was underway. But after that, the laws have been implemented strictly.
Deputy counter-narcotics minister Abdul Haq Akhund Hamkar told news agency AFP that nearly three thousand hectares of poppy had been destroyed since the start of the season. The report was published this year in May. That figure is a fraction of the 233,000 hectares the UNODC estimated were harvested in 2022.
As quoted by the news agency, Haji Qazi, who is Helmand’s counter-narcotics chief, said that the ban “has been implemented to a great extent [without force]”, because far less poppy was sown this season.
“When the decree of the supreme leader was announced, most of the people accepted it,” he said.
(With inputs from agencies)
recommended stories
recommended stories
recommended stories
recommended stories
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
