Kabul [Afghanistan] : The cultivation and production of opium in Afghanistan has decreased by 95 per cent in the past year, Khaama Press reported citing the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The report was issued by the office on Sunday, pointing out that after the ban on opium cultivation and production in Afghanistan, the cultivation has decreased from 23,300 hectares in the previous year to 10,800 hectares, indicating a 95 per cent reduction.
It further states that this measure puts significant pressure on the farmers of a war-torn country, where the majority of the population relies on agriculture as their primary source of income and considers opium cultivation as a "livelihood-sustaining" source of income.
According to the report, the severe reduction in poppy cultivation could have adverse economic consequences for a country where previously about two-thirds of its population depended on humanitarian aid, Khaama Press reported. Notably, Afghanistan was previously considered the largest exporter of opium, supplying approximately 80 per cent of the world's illegal opium.
The Taliban authorities banned the cultivation and production of narcotics in Afghanistan in 2022. Experts believe that the Taliban administration is pursuing this action to gain international legitimacy, Khaama Press reported. This comes as the research institution Alcis had claimed, based on satellite images, that poppy cultivation had decreased by 80 per cent in Helmand province. At the same time, it had increased in mountainous regions like Badakhshan in 2023.
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