Afghanistan rejects UN report showing fourfold rise in poppy cultivation

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior has rejected a United Nations report estimating that opium poppy cultivation in the country more than quadrupled in 2026, arguing that the findings contradict its official data and field evidence.

Abdul Mateen Qani, the ministry’s spokesperson, said the UN report had failed to accurately reflect conditions on the ground and overlooked the Islamic Emirate’s efforts to eradicate narcotics-producing crops.

According to the latest report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan reached an estimated 43,300 hectares this year, up more than fourfold from 2025. Opium production also increased from around 300 metric tons to approximately 1,500 metric tons.

Despite the sharp rise, cultivation remains well below the 2021 level, when about 177,000 hectares of land were used to grow opium poppies.

The report also noted that IEA forces cleared more than 26,000 hectares of land in poppy-growing provinces of narcotics-producing plants this year.

The Interior Ministry said in a statement that satellite imagery and estimates alone cannot provide a sufficient basis for definitive conclusions unless eradication operations and field evidence are also taken into account. It also questioned the use of unofficial information in calculating cultivation and production figures.

The ministry called on the UNODC to ensure that its assessments accurately reflect conditions on the ground, while emphasizing that sustained efforts to combat narcotics require more than law enforcement.

It said support for farmers, the development of alternative livelihoods, the expansion of legal agriculture and treatment for people with drug addiction were also essential to tackling the problem.

The ministry urged international organizations to support Afghanistan’s anti-narcotics efforts through what it described as accurate assessments and practical cooperation.