Opium cultivation in Afghanistan: Farmers fight for the survival of ban!

Opium cultivation in Afghanistan: Farmers fight for the survival of ban!

Vienna, AT - Afghanistan faces a dramatic turn in opium trading: The prices for the sought -after intoxicant have tenfold within a year. According to a report by the UNODC, the kilogram of opium cost $ 750 in 2023, an explosive increase in the $ 75 in 2022. This price explosion occurs in the middle of a massive decline in opium production, which has been collapsed by 95 percent since the ban on Taliban. From 6,200 tons, production fell to just 333 tons, which has devastating consequences for the rural population that depends heavily on this business. vienna.at reports that the poppy seed areas of 233,000 hectares have only declined to only 10,800 hectares. This questions the economic survival of many farming villages.

economic consequences and humanitarian crisis

The UN warned that the profits from drug trafficking will flow into the hands of transnational crime organizations, which further exacerbates the destabilized conditions in the country. The UNODC managing director Ghada Waly emphasized that the Afghan farmers need alternative sources of income to survive in the current crisis. The income from the opium sale fell from an estimated $ 1.36 billion in 2022 to just $ 110 million in 2023. This forces farmers to switch to less lucrative plants, which significantly deteriorates their economic situation, as Tageschau.de Despite the dark forecasts, Waly also sees an opportunity to make progress in the fight against the illegal opium market. Nevertheless, human help in Afghanistan remains of the utmost importance, since the population suffers from hunger and the consequences of decades of conflicts. The fluctuating market and the drought, which also influences other agricultural areas, significantly increase the emergency of people. While the Taliban partially reject the social and economic consequences of the crisis, the Afghans continue to fight for survival in a country that is faced with numerous challenges.