UN Reports Increase in Afghan Opium Poppy Cultivation Area

A new United Nations survey says the total area under opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan has increased by 10 percent, from 183,000 to 201,000 hectares, compared to the previous year, leading to a significant rise in the production of illicit opium. The report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says potential opium production was up 43 percent, reaching 4,800 tons in 2016. “In fact, the value of opiates produced in that country is equivalent to a considerable portion of...

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