Helmand is believed to be one of the world's largest opium producing regions, responsible for around 42% of the world's total production. [7] [8] This is believed to be more than the whole of Myanmar, which is the second-largest producing nation after Afghanistan.

Jun 6, 2023 · A Taliban spokesman told the BBC they imposed the ban because of the harmful effects of opium - which is taken from the poppy seed capsules - and because it goes against their religious beliefs.

Mar 14, 2024 · In what used to be Afghanistan’s largest poppy-growing province, Helmand, cultivation plummeted by 99 per cent in 2023 following the Islamic Emirate’s ban on the crop in April 2022.

Nov 15, 2023 · In Farah, Helmand, Kandahar and Nangrahar provinces, all major opium poppy cultivators — together, they made up 74 per cent of the country’s total opium cultivation in 2022 – UNODC recorded an overall increase of 160,000 hectares in cereal cultivation in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Dec 12, 2024 · The Taliban’s opium ban, coupled with Afghan farmers’ replacement of poppy largely with low-value wheat, is likely to worsen dissatisfaction and political tensions. The Taliban’s persistence in enforcing the ban has been notable, especially in 2024.

Jun 2, 2022 · Taliban officials eradicate a poppy field on Sunday in Washir, a district of Helmand province in Afghanistan. The country's Taliban rulers have begun a campaign to eradicate poppy cultivation,...

Nov 14, 2013 · Lashkar Gah is the capital of the volatile province that alone grows half of Afghanistan's opium poppy. Cultivation here grew by 34 percent over last year. On Fridays, hundreds of men gather at...

Mar 15, 2024 · In what used to be Afghanistan’s largest poppy-growing province, Helmand, cultivation plummeted by 99 per cent in 2023 following the Islamic Emirate’s ban on the crop in April 2022.

3 days ago · One kilogramme of opium cost $750 last year, up from $75 just three years ago, compensating sellers for the loss in overall production and poppy fields, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime ().“Heroin and opium seizures are down about 50 per cent in weight since 2021,” the UN agency reported, highlighting that the post-ban decrease in production in Afghanistan has led to a decline ...

May 26, 2023 · Farmers in Helmand, a province once notorious as Afghanistan's leading opium poppy producer, are now embracing profitable alternatives like hing because of their weariness with the troublesome poppy crop.