The United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC) yesterday put out a short video entitled “Taliban’s Poppy Ban: Can It Work?” It relates how, in April 2022, Afghanistan’s Taliban banned all cultivation of opium poppy under strict new laws. Previously, Afghanistan was the source for 80% of the world’s opium. Quoting UNODC: “While the 2022 harvest was largely exempted from the decree, the Taliban have strictly enforced the ban this year, aggressively eradicating poppy plantations and leaving farmers with limited economic opportunities.”
The United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC) Alternative Development Programme works with communities in Afghanistan to help develop new crops, e.g., wheat, tomatoes, okra and citrus. It has also been helping with poultry production. However, international aid is dropping, and “a sustainable reduction of opiate production can only be achieved if accompanied by country-wide and long-term development support.”
