Opium plantations in Afghanistan increased by 127 thousand hectares in a year - UNODC

Beijing. May 22. Silkroadnews - Scale of illicit opium crops in Afghanistan has once again reached an unprecedented high level over the past year, a report recently published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says, the Afghan Telegraph Agency (AfTAG) reports.
According to a survey carried out by an international organization, in 2016 the opium plantations area in the country was about 201 thousand hectares, over the next year it increased by 127 thousand hectares.
The plantation area exceeded the figures of 2009 and 2010 when military activities were conducted on the territory of Afghanistan with participation of NATO and the US.
The drug production has mainly expanded in those provinces that were known for their illicit plantations existed, in particular, in Helmand their area grew by 63.7 thousand hectares (+79%), in Balkh - by 10 thousand (5 times increase). A significant increase in plantation area was also observed in Kandahar, Nimroz and Uruzgan provinces.
The northern provinces top the list of illicit production areas with 57% of the total volume of prohibited substances produced. According to the UNODC, 16% of the country’s opium volume is produced here, with 13% produced in western provinces and 9% in eastern.
In 2016 volume of opium production in Afghanistan made 4,800 tons, the next year it has almost doubled totaling 9,000 tons. Among the reasons behind such growth the survey says about both high harvests of illicit crop, low level of security, lack of government control over the territory, and socio-economic preconditions not allowing peasants to earn their living through legal ways.