The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has reported in a new assessment that opium production in Afghanistan increased fivefold in 2026 compared with the previous year.

According to the report, published on Thursday, 29 October, opium production rose from approximately 300 tonnes in 2025 to nearly 1,500 tonnes in 2026.

The area under poppy cultivation also increased by 330 per cent, rising from around 10,000 hectares to more than 43,000 hectares.

The agency added that poppy cultivation had spread to 16 Afghan provinces, with the country’s northeastern region emerging as the main area of cultivation.

Monica Juma, the agency’s Executive Director, said that achieving a sustained reduction in poppy cultivation would be difficult without providing farmers with alternative livelihood opportunities.

However, opium cultivation and production levels remain below those recorded before the drug ban was imposed in 2022.