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Sharp Decline in Opium Poppy Cultivation in Afghanistan Deserves Support and Appreciation
Within a year or two, opium cultivation area declined by 90% or more, a feat the USA with its huge funds could not achieve.
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In the year 2010, the area under poppy opium cultivation in Afghanistan was very high at 122,513 hectares. By the year 2020, this had increased further to 223,696 hectares. During this period the peak was reached at 328,308 hectares in 2017. There were ups and downs from year to year but throughout this decade (2010-2020) the opium poppy cultivation area in Afghanistan remained at a very high level. The production of the opium crop in Afghanistan was 3576 tons in 2010. By 2020 this had increased to 6270 tons. There was a peak production of 8984 tons in 2017. There were ups and downs from year to year but the production remained at very high level throughout this decade (2010-2020).
This was the period when the USA and allied forces were the most powerful forces in Afghanistan and US supported governments were in control in the country. The cultivation data is from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODCUnited Nations Office on Drugs and CrimeA UN agency established to assist Member States in their struggle against illicit drugs, crime, and terrorism. It provides research, guidance, and support for drug control and crime prevention.) and UN Drug Monitoring Platform.
A significant question arises: as the USA with its War on DrugsGlobal Anti-Drug CampaignA term commonly used to refer to a government-led initiative, typically in the United States, aimed at reducing the illegal drug trade and drug use through aggressive law enforcement, military aid, and foreign intervention. has always stated that checking illicit supply of drugs, particularly heroin, is a major priority for it, and as most of this illegal cultivation of opium was being used for processing into heroin, why did the USA not make it a top priority to curb illegal cultivation of opium poppy here, particularly when US funds could also have been available for compensating farmers for giving up poppy opium and attracting them towards cultivating food crops or safe cash crops??
In 2021 the US forces left Afghanistan and the Taliban government soon came to power. In 2022 this new government announced a ban on poppy cultivation and all types of narcotics. Within a year or two, the opium cultivation area declined by 90% or more. While the area under opium poppy cultivation was 223,696 hectares in 2020, it had declined to 12,800 hectares in 2024 and 10,200 hectares in 2025, according to UN data. The production of opium crop was reduced from 6270 tons in 2020 to just 296 tons in 2025.
Despite facing a severe shortage of funds and thus lacking the means to compensate farmers and cover other expenses, the Taliban government still achieved this. So why could the USA, with all its huge funds, not achieve the same during the period of friendly governments when US and allied forces were present in the country (2002-2020)?
Anyway, given that the Taliban government has achieved this, should there not be adequate appreciation? The least that the USA and allies can do is to release Afghanistan’s seized or frozen funds so that the government here has funds to reduce the acute humanitarian crisis existing there, accentuated by the deportation of millions of Afghans previously residing abroad. existing here, accentuated by the deportation of millions of Afghans earlier residing abroad. If the USA can spend billions on its War on Drugs, can it not, at the very least, restore to the Afghanistan government its own funds for meeting urgent humanitarian needs, also expressing appreciation of the work done by the Afghanistan government for reducing opium cultivation in a big way.
UN officials in Afghanistan (or dealing with Afghan affairs) have recently emphasized the urgent need for increasing humanitarian assistance, also considering adverse weather conditions that have imposed an additional burden on farmers. UN officials have also emphasized that to sustain the gains of farmers giving up poppy opium cultivation, they need help. Farmers who give up poppy opium cultivation incur economic loss; as they transition to food or normal cash crops, they require assistance, particularly under adverse weather conditions. UN officials, while emphasizing this, have also stated that when such help is non-existent, instances of farmers reverting to poppy opium cultivation can sometimes be observed. Hence, now is the time to sustain the move away from poppy opium by assisting farmers. However, this essential responsibility is being ignored by the West.
We should also revisit what happened over two decades back. In the year 1999, opium cultivation in Afghanistan had extended to 91,000 hectares. After this the newly formed Taliban government took strong steps to curb this and in the year 2001, this had come down to just 8,000 hectares. However, later that year, the US attacked Afghanistan, removing the Taliban government and installing a US-supported government. In 2002, poppy opium cultivation again increased to 74,000 hectares, and by 2004, it had risen to 131,000 hectares. Those following the changes closely were not surprised, as they had noted that while preparing to invade, US authorities had re-established earlier contacts with powerful opium promoters—in fact, in some cases, even close relatives of the new ruling elite brought in by the USA were involved with opium and drugs.
In fact, we should go back even further for a more complete understanding of this. During the 1970s the production of poppy opium in Afghanistan was about 100 tons annually. However, a significant increase took place during the 1980s as the USA, with Pakistan’s help, supported several Afghan warlords—including those involved with drugs and opium—to fight against the Soviet army and the Soviet-backed Afghan government., including those involved with drugs and opium, to fight against the Soviet army and the Afghan government supported by the Soviet Union. Apart from receiving CIA arms and funds, these warlords also generated vast funds from the opium and drug trade, leading to a substantial increase in opium cultivation. In fact, in their strongholds, some of these warlords even forced many farmers to cultivate poppy opium against their will, using threats and violence. Historian Alfred McCoy has stated, ‘Caravans carrying CIA arms into that region for resistance often returned to Pakistan loaded down with opium.’ The Washington Times reported in May 1990 that the US government had, over several years, been receiving reports of heroin trafficking by some of its allies but chose not to investigate. This neglect continued even as Afghanistan’s opium became the main source for illicit drugs supplied to the West, generating huge illegal profits for powerful traffickers. At the same time, there were reports of the USA encouraging drug smuggling into the Soviet Union and Iran to weaken their societies. The overall result was that opium production, which had averaged around 100 tons annually in Afghanistan during the 1970s, had increased about 20 times to around 2,000 tons in 1991. Following the withdrawal of the Soviet Army, there was increasing fighting among the various warlords for gaining more control, and they financed their operations by further increasing poppy opium cultivation in the areas they controlled.
Thus, it is clear that narrow and selfish considerations on the part of the West have repeatedly led to a very serious aggravation of health and social disasters. It is time to make amends for this by contributing positively now to reducing serious problems.
Disclaimer:The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Rift.
