Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan dropped by 20% this year, marking a further decline in the country’s once-dominant narcotics industry following the Taliban’s nationwide ban on opium production, according to a new United Nations survey released Thursday.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said the total area under opium poppy cultivation fell to 10,200 hectares in 2025, down from 12,800 hectares in 2024.
That figure is just a fraction of the 232,000 hectares recorded in 2022, before the Taliban outlawed the crop.
While the cultivated area fell by a fifth, output dropped even more sharply. The UNODC estimated that Afghanistan’s total opium harvest declined 32% to 296 tons, underscoring the lingering impact of the Taliban’s 2022 prohibition and tighter enforcement by local authorities.
Despite the reduced supply, opium prices fell by 27% to about $570 per kilogram, the agency said, suggesting changing market conditions.
“This price decline indicates a shift in market dynamics and may prompt increased cultivation in other countries,” the UNODC warned, noting that global drug markets and trafficking routes are undergoing “fundamental changes.”
The report also highlighted a concerning rise in the production of synthetic drugs, particularly methamphetamine, as criminal groups adapt to the new restrictions.
“As agricultural-based opiate production declines, synthetic drugs appear to have become the new business model for organized crime groups,” the UNODC said. “They are easier to produce, harder to detect, and less vulnerable to climate fluctuations.”
Afghanistan had long been the world’s largest opium producer, supplying over 80% of global heroin before the Taliban’s ban.
However, analysts say that while the crackdown has reduced poppy cultivation, it has also pushed many rural farmers, who depended on the crop for survival, into deeper poverty, potentially fueling other illicit activities.
The UNODC report concludes that Afghanistan’s shrinking opium industry is transforming both local economies and the global drug trade, as traffickers pivot from traditional opiates to synthetic substances.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
