Afghanistan: ‘It’s Our lifeline’: The Taliban Are back but Afghans Say Opium Is Here to Stay

Nov 11, 2021 | Shah Meer Baloch, Guardian
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Afghanistan is the largest opium producer in the world, accounting for more than 80% of global production between 2015 and 2020, and generating millions of dollars annually. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), an estimated 6,300 tonnes of opium was harvested in Afghanistan last year, an amount that can produce up to 290 tonnes of pure heroin. The amount of land given over to poppy production rose by more than a third between 2019 and 2020, to 224,000 hectares (553,516 acres).