World · South & Central Asia · 4 hrs ago
Poppy Farming Expands in Pakistan and Iran Near Afghanistan
Poppy cultivation has expanded in parts of Pakistan and Iran that border Afghanistan.
The areas highlighted are Pakistan’s Balochistan province and Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province.
The Taliban banned poppy cultivation after taking power in Afghanistan in August 2021, and farmers may be crossing the border to avoid enforcement.
Balochistan has more than 9,000 hectares of poppy fields, according to satellite images and local farmers cited by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Poppy is used to make opium and heroin, and the wider region has long been a major source of illegal drugs.
Drug money could help fund armed groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army, which carries out attacks on authorities in the province.
The report says poppy cultivation has also become more active again inside Afghanistan after an earlier decline.
Poppy cultivation has expanded in parts of Pakistan and Iran bordering Afghanistan, according to a report based on satellite images and farmers’ accounts.
The reported growth is in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province and Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province.
Poppy fields in Balochistan cover more than 9,000 hectares, the report says.
Farmers may be planting across the border to avoid Afghanistan’s Taliban-imposed ban on poppy cultivation.
An expert cited by RFE/RL said the ban and rising instability in the border region have contributed to the expansion.
- Who
- Farmers in parts of Pakistan and Iran are growing poppies; the Taliban banned cultivation in Afghanistan.
- What
- Poppy cultivation has expanded in areas bordering Afghanistan.
- When
- The expansion has taken place over recent years. The report was published on November 1, 2026.
- Where
- Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan and Sistan and Baluchestan province in southeastern Iran.
- Why
- Farmers may be planting in neighboring countries to avoid Afghanistan’s ban. An expert also cited growing instability in the three-country border region.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Taliban took power in Afghanistan and banned poppy cultivation.
Poppy cultivation expanded in parts of Pakistan’s Balochistan province and Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province, according to RFE/RL.
Nikkei published its report on the reported expansion of poppy cultivation.
- Balochistan
- More than 9,000 hectares of poppy fields
- Pakistan
- Balochistan province in the southwest
- Iran
- Sistan and Baluchestan province in the southeast
- Taliban ban
- Poppy cultivation banned after the Taliban took power in August 2021
1 source
What people are saying
The Taliban’s drug ban and increased instability in the border areas of the three countries have led to the expansion of cultivation.