Poppy Cultivation
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Afghanistan
Opium Production in Afghanistan Rises Fivefold Despite Taliban Ban, UN Says
DID Press: Opium production in Afghanistan increased fivefold in 2026 despite the Taliban’s ban on poppy cultivation, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), as farmers return to the illicit crop amid poverty and a lack…
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Afghanistan
Opium Production in Afghanistan Surges 400% as Poppy Cultivation Exceeds 43,000 Hectares
DID Press: Opium production in Afghanistan has increased nearly fivefold over the past year, rising from approximately 300 tonnes to 1,500 tonnes, according to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The increase has coincided…
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Afghanistan
Muttaqi Urges Intl Community to Recognize Afghanistan’s Anti-Drug Efforts
DID Press: Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister, has urged the international community not to overlook Afghanistan’s achievements in combating narcotics and to support continued efforts to curb drug production. Muttaqi highlighted measures taken to ban poppy cultivation and…
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Afghanistan
Afghanistan Accuses Pakistan of Being the Main Source of Drug Smuggling
DID Press: Mufti Abdul Mateen Qani, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior, says that most traditional and synthetic drugs are smuggled from Pakistan into Afghanistan across the Durand Line. Qani said Afghan forces have stepped up efforts to prevent drug…
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Afghanistan
UNDP: Afghanistan’s Opium Production Has Fallen by 95%
DID Press: Alexander De Croo, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), says opium production in Afghanistan has fallen by 95 percent following the ban imposed by the Taliban on poppy cultivation and drug trafficking. Speaking to Foreign Policy,…
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Government
Return of ‘Black Gold’: Myanmar Becomes World’s Largest Opium Producer Again
DID Press: The “Golden Triangle” in Southeast Asia, once one of the world’s main centers of opium production, is witnessing a renewed expansion of poppy cultivation, with Myanmar once again emerging as the world’s leading known source of illicit opium.…
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Afghanistan
Japan Pledges $9.4 Million for Afghanistan Counternarcotics Programme
DID Press: Japan will provide about $9.4 million to support a two-year counternarcotics programme in Afghanistan aimed at helping former poppy-growing families develop alternative livelihoods and expanding services for people affected by drug use, the United Nations Office on Drugs…
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Afghanistan
UNAMA Calls for Alternative Livelihoods and Support for Women in Badakhshan
DID Press: Georgette Gagnon, acting head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, has called for greater investment in alternative livelihoods and continued support for women during a visit to…
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Afghanistan
Protests in Badakhshan Over Mining and Poppy Eradication Turn Violent
DID Press: Local sources in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province report that tensions between Taliban forces and residents in the districts of Shaki and Argo have escalated into violent clashes, resulting in deaths and injuries. Residents in Shaki district say protests erupted…
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Afghanistan
Afghanistan in Hunger Crisis; Farmers Battle to Sustain Poppy Cultivation
DIDPress: The Print reported that despite billions of dollars invested in the fight against narcotics, poppy cultivation persists, with groups like the Mujahideen, the Taliban, and criminal organizations exploiting it for financial and military power. In northern Afghanistan, particularly in…
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