Afghanistan. Opium Cultivation in Badakhshan: The new national leader, according to UNDOC
Afghanistan. Opium Cultivation in Badakhshan: The new national leader, according to UNDOC
Although the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) ban on opium cultivation continues largely to hold, the area under poppy did increase in 2024, by almost a fifth, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) annual survey. Even with that increase, however, this year’s cultivation was negligible compared to pre-ban levels. What is more noteworthy is the shifting of the geographic centre of cultivation from Helmand in the south to the northeastern province of Badakhshan. More than half of the country’s total cultivation was grown there in 2024, said UNODC. The Emirate disputed these findings, saying that UNODC report did not take into account its eradication efforts. AAN’s Jelena Bjelica and Fabrizio Foschini have taken a closer look at historical opium cultivation trends in Badakhshan and probe why the IEA’s ban has not worked in this remote province, which borders Tajikistan, Pakistan and China. (AAN – Afghanistan Analysts Network, Kabul, 13.11.2024)
https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/economy-development-environment/opium-cultivation-in-badakhshan-the-new-national-leader-according-to-undoc/