Global perspective Human stories

Opium production surges by 43% in Afghanistan

Opium production surges by 43% in Afghanistan

Download

Opium production in Afghanistan has increased by 43% according to a survey released on Monday by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

4800 metric tons of opium has been produced in the past year, compared to 3300 metric tons during the previous year.

The highly-addictive drug heroin is obtained from the ‘opium poppy’, a flowering plant cultivated extensively in Afghanistan, where an illicit opium economy operates.

According to the UNODC, the sudden increase is largely driven by a higher opium yield per hectare.

Priyanka Shankar spoke to Coen Bussink, the team leader of illicit crop monitoring at UNODC headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

Duration: 4’00”

Photo Credit
UN Photo / Zalmai