VANCOUVER, CANADA – Two years ago, this time around marked the bustling peak season in Helmand, where days and nights buzzed with activity. However, not a soul ventured out for regular work in the city because it was poppy season. Across Helmand and in other provinces, scores of young people were occupied harvesting poppy seeds and gathering tobacco, earning huge wages.
But this year, Helmand, known as Afghanistan’s primary opium cultivation hub, is different. The Taliban’s prohibition on poppy cultivation and their punishment of some farmers who defied the ban have impacted many people financially.
Farmers argue that alternative crops cannot sustain their livelihoods.
The Taliban police also destroyed the poppy planted by farmers secretly. Photo: Khawala Media
Despite the Taliban’s ban, some farmers in Helmand clandestinely continue to sow poppy seeds, vowing to persist until they find a viable alternative. Before the ban, Helmand was renowned for its opium production, but now, economic hardships plague its residents.
Abdul Samad, a Marja District resident responsible for 15 dependents in his household, laments the dismal income from wheat cultivation last year. He says the income is barely enough to sustain his family for a month. Struggling under a mountain of debt, he faces an uncertain future.
“I estimate my debt to be over 300,000 [Afghanis]. I lack the funds to sow wheat; I had to borrow money just to purchase the seeds. This wheat harvest won’t yield enough to cover my debts. Please, leave me alone, until next year.”
Despite the Taliban’s strict ban, many Helmand farmers persist in growing poppy to meet financial needs. However, the Taliban’s anti-narcotics department reports clearing 587 acres of poppy fields this year.
Abdul Ghaffar from Babaji District leased land to cultivate poppy, only to have his efforts thwarted by the Taliban. Faced with financial strain and plummeting wheat prices, he grapples with uncertainty.
“When you are left without dinner in the evening, and the land you have leased yields such meagre harvests that you are forced to surrender them to the lessor, what other recourse does one have? Wheat no longer proves lucrative. Now, I find myself bewildered by the landlord’s demands for payment.”
Farmers decry the dwindling wheat prices, attributing it to increased wheat cultivation post-poppy ban. Esmatullah from Marja District recounts the sharp decline in wheat prices, making ends meet increasingly difficult.
Akhtar Muhammad, who formerly engaged in the poppy trade in Marja district, highlights the doubled price of poppy because of the cultivation ban. He notes that despite the prohibition, markets for buying and selling poppy persist, with demand soaring higher than ever.
He explains, “a year ago, a single kilogram of opium fetched 100,000 Afghanis. Now, the same quantity commands three times the price, making it exorbitantly expensive.”
In a plea to the Taliban government, farmers seek assistance and alternative cultivation options to alleviate their plight.
Meanwhile, opium traders in Helmand witness escalating prices in tobacco markets, offering a glimmer of hope amidst economic woes.
Opium traders in Helmand say that the fairs for buying and selling of opium continue and the prices are increasing day by day. Photo: Khawala Media
In Musa Kala, Kajaki, and Marjah, key hubs for poppy trade, opium prices have surged. Despite the ban, opium factories thrive in districts like Musa Qala, Khanshin, Sangin, and Kajaki, fuelling the persistent demand for poppy.
Efforts to obtain Taliban officials’ perspectives on Helmand’s agricultural crisis and drug trade have proven futile despite persistent inquiries.
