Since the arrival of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, the sowing areas of sleeping pills, which serves as a source of opium, has grown by 32% and reached 233 thousand hectares. This was reported in the UN report, which is published on the official website of the organization.
This happened after the Taliban forbade growing a poppy in the entire territory of the country. Such an order was issued by the Supreme leader of the movement of Haibatulla Ahundzad.
In 2022, the crop decreased by 10% compared to 2021 and amounted to 6.2 thousand tons (approximately 350-380 tons of market quality heroin – ed.). The reason was the drought that struck Afghanistan at the beginning of 2022.
The decrease in yield did not affect the revenue. If in 2021 the revolution of the narcotic plant was $ 425 million, then in 2022 it grew to $ 1.36 billion. According to experts, absolute values do not fully reflect the real state of affairs. A significant part in this height was played by Afghan inflation, which has grown three times over the past year. It is also worth noting that the report is only about internal circulation, while export significantly exceeds these amounts.
Despite the ban on the cultivation of poppy, Afghanistan remains the main (about 80%) supplier of heroin to the illegal market of the planet, and the cultivation of the plant provides a significant part of farmers’ income in some provinces of the country.