Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Pashto article.
Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan increased by 330 percent and opium production rose by 400 percent in 2026 compared to last year, according to a new survey by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
The survey released Thursday found that opium poppy cultivation increased from 10,000 hectares in 2025 to 43,000 in 2026, while estimated opium production rose from 300 tons in 2025 to just under 1,500 tons in 2026.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Interior rejected the report, saying that its findings contradict official figures.
Before the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, Afghanistan was one of the world’s largest opiate suppliers. The group, however, outlawed the cultivation of narcotics nationwide in April 2022, which led to a massive decline in opium poppy production.
The UNODC report said that despite the sharp increase in 2026, opium poppy cultivation remained below the pre-ban levels, when more than 200,000 hectares of land were planted with poppy.
The report said the Taliban government reported eradicating about 22,000 hectares of poppy fields in 2026. UNODC, however, said that it could not independently verify the figures.
UNODC said that Afghan farmers have found ways to get around the Taliban’s restrictions.
The report said that opium poppy cultivation expanded from 29 provinces in 2025 to 34 provinces, and that only the southern Zabul province was opium free.
“The farmers are concealing small poppy plots within cereal fields or inside walled compounds or are planting and harvesting at staggered intervals to reduce the risk of detection,” said the report.
UNODC also reported that the prices of opium fell from $570 to $500 per kilogram compared with the previous year. However, prices remained three times higher than the seasonal averages before the Taliban’s ban on poppy cultivation.
A Kabul-based agricultural expert, who requested anonymity, told VOA that the survey paints a grim picture of unemployment in Afghanistan.
“It shows how people are struggling to cope with economic consequences of the Taliban’s rule,” he said.
The expert also said that the report calls into question the Taliban’s claim of having complete control over the country.
“The Taliban, because of that, say that they have reduced poppy cultivation to zero,” he added.
On Tuesday, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said group's fight against narcotics was one of the its greatest achievements.
The expert, however, said the new report “damages the Taliban’s global image’ on the issue.