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Afghanistan opium production jumps fivefold in a year despite Taliban ban, UNODC says

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Afghanistan opium production rose about fivefold in 2026, the first significant increase since the Taliban banned poppy cultivation in 2022, according to a survey released by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Thursday, 29 October 2026.

Afghanistan opium: Opium poppy capsules, image released with the UNODC Afghanistan Opium Survey 2026
Opium poppy capsules, image released with the UNODC Afghanistan Opium Survey 2026 Photo: UNODC (official press image, editorial use with credit).

Afghanistan opium survey 2026: the numbers

The area under opium poppy cultivation grew by 330 per cent to more than 43,000 hectares in 2026, up from about 10,000 hectares in 2025, UNODC said. Estimated production rose by 400 per cent, from about 300 tonnes to just under 1,500 tonnes. Both figures remain well below levels before the ban, when some 232,000 hectares were under cultivation, according to UN News. The de facto authorities say they eradicated 22,000 hectares of poppy this year. Cultivation spread to 16 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, five more than in 2025, and three of every four hectares were in the northeast, now the main growing area. Before the ban, most cultivation took place in the southwest.

Key Facts

  • Poppy area 2026: over 43,000 hectares (up 330%)
  • Opium output: just under 1,500 tonnes (up 400%)
  • Pre-ban area: about 232,000 hectares
  • Provinces with poppy: 16 of 34
  • Price: $500 per kg (pre-ban under $100)

“International cooperation is needed to investigate and dismantle transnational drug trafficking networks both in Afghanistan and the rest of the world.”

— Monica Juma, UNODC Executive Director

How farmers evade the Taliban poppy cultivation ban

UNODC found that many farmers appear to have adapted to evade enforcement, hiding small poppy plots within cereal fields or inside walled compounds, or planting and harvesting at staggered intervals to avoid detection. “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,” said UNODC Executive Director Monica Juma. She urged the de facto authorities and the international community to support farming communities by investing in livelihoods, farm infrastructure and access to markets. The Taliban-run Interior Ministry rejected the survey’s figures, saying cultivation had been reduced to almost zero, Afghan news agency Pajhwok reported.

Prices, stockpiles and heroin supply

Opium prices dipped from $570 a kilogram in 2025 to $500 in 2026 but remain far above pre-ban levels of under $100, UNODC said, and large regional price gaps may encourage trafficking from the northeast to the southwest. Traffickers appear to have relied on opium stockpiles to keep supplies moving since the ban, but recent seizure data suggest those stocks are running down. The 2026 World Drug Report also found early signs that heroin supplies in Europe are falling. With demand steady and prices high, shrinking supplies could push cultivation higher still. “International cooperation is needed to investigate and dismantle transnational drug trafficking networks both in Afghanistan and the rest of the world,” Juma said. UNODC said continued monitoring will show whether this year’s jump is temporary or the start of a resurgence. Before the ban, Afghanistan supplied around 80 per cent of the world’s illicit opium, UN News said.

Why It Matters: Afghanistan was the source of most of the world's illicit opium, and a revival would reshape drug trafficking routes across the region and beyond.

Also on TrendDesh: Nyala drone attack: five children killed at Sudan market, UNICEF says · Myanmar rights situation "catastrophic" as illicit economy fuels war, UN expert says

Source: UNODC press release: Afghanistan Opium Survey 2026 · UN News: Afghanistan opium production jumps fivefold · AP: UN reports sharp rise in poppy cultivation · Pajhwok: Interior Ministry rejects findings

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