More than 100 people were arrested on Sunday for cultivating poppies intended for opium production in a northeastern Afghan region resistant to the ban on such activity, according to local police authorities.
During the operation, Afghan counter-narcotics officer Shafiqullah Hafizi reported that forces detained over 100 individuals in various villages for engaging in poppy cultivation. He further explained that the arrested individuals had been brought before the provincial court in Badakhshan in preparation for their trials.
The Taliban regime banned poppy production across Afghanistan in 2022 after a fatwa from their supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada. Before this prohibition, Afghanistan had been the world’s largest producer of opium and heroin.
Following the ban, poppy cultivation shifted to northeastern regions, including Badakhshan, whereas it had previously been concentrated in southern areas traditionally controlled by the Taliban.
In May, reports indicated violent clashes between farmers and police forces tasked with destroying poppy fields in Badakhshan, which led to several deaths.
Approximately 80% of Afghanistan’s population relies on agriculture, making the nation one of the poorest globally. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) highlighted in its latest report, published in November, that high opium prices and reduced stockpiles could incentivise farmers to violate the ban, particularly in areas outside traditional cultivation centres and in neighbouring countries.
Both the UNODC and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) have urged the international community to help Afghan farmers transition to alternative crops or find other livelihoods. The Taliban government has echoed these calls, emphasising the need for support in facilitating this transition.
Since the poppy cultivation ban, the price of poppy resin, the raw material for opium and heroin production, initially rose sharply but has now stabilised at around $730 per kilogram, according to UNODC data. Before 2022, the price had been approximately $100 per kilogram.
Meanwhile, Myanmar, currently experiencing a civil war between its military regime and various armed opposition groups, has surpassed Afghanistan as the world’s largest opium producer.
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Photo source: Al Jazeera
Source: ANA-MPA
