Taliban Ban Poppy Cultivation In Afghanistan, World’s Biggest Opium Producer

Taliban order says the crop will be destroyed and the violator treated according to Sharia law if anyone violates the decree.

File image of an Afghan farmer walking through a poppy field in Zari district of Kandahar province in Afghanistan | File photo: AFP

New Delhi: The Taliban Sunday announced a ban on the cultivation of poppy across Afghanistan, which is the biggest opium producer in the world.

"As per the decree of the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, all Afghans are informed that from now on, cultivation of poppy has been strictly prohibited across the country," an order from the Taliban's supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada said, as reported by news agency Reuters.

"If anyone violates the decree, the crop will be destroyed immediately and the violator will be treated according to the Sharia law," the Ministry of Interior read out the order at a media conference in Kabul.

The order bans the production, use or transportation of other narcotic drugs too.

The Taliban had in 2000, towards the end of their last rule, banned poppy cultivation in an effort to seek international legitimacy, but the decision invited backlash and they had to change stance, the Reuters report said, quoting experts.

Afghanistan's opium production was estimated to be worth $1.4 billion at its height in 2017, according to the United Nations.

Quoting farmers and Taliban members, Reuters reported that the production had increased further in recent months.

The prices of poppy had more than doubled in recent weeks on rumours that the Taliban could ban its cultivation again, the report said, adding that this had prompted many local residents in south-eastern provinces to grow the crop as the country faces a severe economic crisis.

A farmer told the news agency that he needed to grow poppy to support his family as it brings faster and higher returns than legal crops such as wheat.

"Other crops are just not profitable," he was quoted as saying.

Like last time, the report said quoting Taliban sources, there is anticipation of “tough resistance” against the poppy ban from some elements within the group.

As the Taliban leadership once again seeks formal international recognition, after taking over reins of the country in August 2021, drug control has been a major demand of the international community of the Islamist group.

The country is in a dire economic situation, with global sanctions severely hampering banking, business and development activities.