UN report: Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan will decline in 2025

This is the conclusion of a survey conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which stated that the total area cultivated with opium poppy in 2025 was estimated at about 10,200 hectares, that is, 20% less than in 2024, and a small percentage of the pre-ban levels recorded in 2022, when the cultivated area nationwide was estimated at 232,000 hectares.

He added that, accordingly, opium production in 2025 also decreased by 32% compared to 2024, reaching an estimated total of 296 tons.

According to the new survey, farmers’ income from opium sales fell by 48% from US$260 million in 2024 to US$134 million in 2025. After the ban, many farmers turned to growing grains and other crops.

He warned that the return of nearly four million Afghans from neighboring countries, who now represent about 10 percent of the country’s population, has contributed to rising competition for jobs and scarce resources that could – coupled with a decline in humanitarian aid – make opium poppy cultivation more attractive.

Production of synthetic drugs

Afghanistan’s path to overcoming illicit crop cultivation requires… “Coordinated, long-term investments, including through international partnerships”.

The office explained that the decline in the price of opium, coupled with the decline in production, indicates a shift in market dynamics, and may lead to an increase in attempts to cultivate illicit opium in other countries.

The survey also noted that production and trafficking of synthetic drugs, especially methamphetamine, continues to increase since the ban, with seizures in and around Afghanistan increasing by nearly 50% by the end of 2024 compared to the third quarter of 2023.

He added that with the decline in agricultural opioid production, synthetic drugs appear to have become the new business model for organized crime groups due to their relative ease of production, difficulty of detection, and relative resilience to climate change.