World · South & Central Asia · 3 hrs ago
Afghanistan poppy cultivation more than quadruples despite Taliban ban
Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan more than quadrupled in 2026, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says, despite a Taliban ban imposed in 2022.
The area planted rose from about 10,000 hectares in 2025 to roughly 43,000 hectares this year, though estimates differ slightly.
The UN also reported a sharp rise in opium production, while the Taliban authorities dispute the scale of cultivation and say eradication efforts continue.
The ban had sharply reduced poppy farming, but deep poverty is pushing some farmers back to the crop because legal crops often bring in less income.
Some farmers hide poppy plots among cereal crops or behind walls to avoid detection.
The increase highlights the need for other ways to earn a living, including support for farming, infrastructure and access to markets.
The UN says it is too early to know whether the rise is temporary or marks a wider return to opium production.
Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan more than quadrupled in 2026, despite the Taliban government’s ban, according to a United Nations report.
The UN estimated that poppies covered 43,000 hectares, while satellite imagery analysis cited by Reuters put the figure at 43,300 hectares.
Farmers and aid workers say low returns from legal crops and severe poverty are pushing some farmers back to poppy cultivation.
The Taliban rejected the UN report’s findings, saying cultivation was about half the UN estimate and that eradication efforts continued.
The UN says farmers need economic support and viable livelihoods to make reductions in poppy cultivation sustainable.
- Who
- Afghan farmers are returning to poppy cultivation, according to the UN. The Taliban government has banned the crop.
- What
- Opium poppy cultivation more than quadrupled in 2026 compared with 2025, despite the ban.
- When
- In 2026; the UN report was released on October 29.
- Where
- Afghanistan, including Badakhshan and Balkh provinces.
- Why
- Farmers say legal crops do not provide enough income to support their families. The UN says poor farmers need alternatives and economic support.
Taliban government
Farmers returning to poppy cultivation
Cultivation figures
Taliban government
The Taliban rejected the UN report and said actual cultivation was about half its estimate.
Farmers returning to poppy cultivation
The UN estimated cultivation at 43,000 hectares; Reuters reported a satellite-based estimate of 43,300 hectares.
The ban
Taliban government
The Taliban government maintains a ban and says eradication efforts continue.
Farmers returning to poppy cultivation
Some farmers say they are returning to poppy because legal crops do not earn enough to support their families.
The Taliban government imposed a ban that drove poppy cultivation sharply down.
Afghanistan had 10,000 hectares of poppy cultivation, according to the UN.
Cultivation rose to an estimated 43,000 hectares, according to the UN; Reuters reported a satellite-based estimate of 43,300 hectares.
The UN reported the increase, while the Taliban rejected its findings and said cultivation was about half the UN estimate.
- Cultivation estimate
- 43,000 hectares, according to the UN
- Alternative cultivation estimate
- 43,300 hectares, based on satellite imagery analysed by the UN, according to Reuters
- 2025 cultivation
- 10,000 hectares, according to the UN
- Estimated opium production
- 1,500 tonnes in 2026, up from 300 tonnes in 2025, according to the UN
- Poppy price
- US$500 per kilogramme in 2026, down from US$570 in 2025, according to the UN
- Taliban estimate
- Actual cultivation was about half the UN estimate
3 sources
What people are saying
Without opium, we cannot even afford basic food
If we grow wheat, it is not enough to sustain our lives. We are forced to grow poppies to earn a good income.
Many farmers "don't have any other choice than to go back to poppy cultivation,
The fourfold increase in opium poppy cultivation shows the difficulty in sustaining decreases in illicit opium cultivation when poor farmers have no alternatives to feed their families