Taliban poppy ban is economic hit to farmers

This week, the Taliban announced that more than 100 people were arrested in northeastern Afghanistan for allegedly growing opium poppy.

The arrests were made in a region that had previously defied an official ban on the crop put into place in 2022, for what the Taliban called religious reasons.

"Their supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, seeks to reduce opium production to zero," Abdul Haq Akhund Hamkar, deputy minister for counternarcotics at Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, told DW.

Opium is made from opium poppy, which in turn is the basic product for the hard drugs heroin and morphine.

Until 2022, Afghanistan was the country with the largest opium poppy cultivation area in the world.

The ban led to a recorded 95% drop in poppy harvests in 2023.

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, farmers' income from opium sales fell from an estimated $1.36 billion (€1.29 billion) in 2022 to $110 million (€104 million) in 2023.

Opium remains unparalleled 

The ban on opium cultivation has hit farmers, such as Asadollah from southern Afghanistan, hard. After some 20 years growing the crop, he is now struggling to survive.

"Our fields are no longer as fertile as before," Asadollah told DW. "Even if opium crops had been forbidden in the Quran," he said, "they would have kept us alive and saved us from famine."

"At the moment, we only earn a fraction of what we used to earn from growing opium," he said.

Other farmers have tried to switch to cereals or beans.

But Hazratali, another farmer from southern Afghanistan, said these crops present major challenges.

"The amount of water needed is far too high, the risk of pests is increasing and the amount of work is enormous," Hazratali said.

"Growing opium was much easier and more profitable," he added.

The Taliban have "not yet presented a plan for those farmers who are no longer allowed to grow opium poppies," Zalmai Afzali, former spokesman for Afghanistan's Counternarcotics Ministry, told DW.

Search for substitutes finds little success

Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, with up to 80% of its population working in agriculture.

Compared to other crops, opium cultivation is much more profitable, even during drought. That makes it a secure source of income for many farmers.

Many socially disadvantaged groups, such as unemployed people and women in rural regions, also benefited from opium cultivation.

Now these people have lost their source of income.

Considering the current drought and difficult climatic conditions in Afghanistan, there aren't many other economically viable and environmentally friendly options for them in sight.

Before the Taliban seized power in 2021, Afghanistan's government had no success in combating poppy farming.

"There were two main reasons for this," said former spokesperson Afzali.

"First, the strategies were developed outside Afghanistan and did not work as planned on the ground. And, second, we were unable to implement these plans for security reasons and due to the Taliban attacks," he said.

Poppy production on the rise again

In the past, the Taliban terror militia financed its activities by drug trafficking.

According to experts, up to 60% of the Taliban's annual income derived from the cultivation and trade of drugs until they seized power.

The Taliban drastically reduced opium production during their first period of rule from 1996 to 2001.

Since the total ban on opium poppies came into effect in 2022, it has cost the Taliban the sympathies of farmers in rural areas.

"We need international aid for the farmers. We are under sanctions. The population is suffering from poverty. And there are many drug addicts. We would like to work together with international organizations," said Abdul Haq Akhund Hamkar, the deputy minister for counternarcotics.

In November, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime reported that opium cultivation in Afghanistan had increased by 19% in 2024 compared with the previous, despite the ban.

The area under cultivation is 12,800 hectares (30,720 acres), according to the UN.

Reza Shirmohammadi contributed to this article, which was originally written in German.