KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The office of the Taliban Prime Minister announced that the European Union (EU) has pledged €45 million ($47.5 million) to support the cultivation of alternative crops as part of efforts to combat poppy cultivation in Afghanistan.
In a statement, the Taliban said the commitment was made during a meeting between Taliban Deputy Prime Minister, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir and EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson, on Tuesday, December 10.
The meeting focused on counter-narcotics efforts, promoting alternative livelihoods for farmers, and the deportation of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries, the Taliban said.
“EU envoy stressed the importance of international cooperation to combat drug production and treat individuals addicted to drugs,” part of the Taliban statement reads.
“Niklasson mentioned that the EU is collaborating with international organizations to provide €45 million in support of alternative crop cultivation for farmers,” it added.
During the meeting, according to the statement, the EU envoy emphasized the need for EU staff to have access to all regions of Afghanistan to deliver aid. Furthermore, he mentioned that he had spoken with neighboring countries to stop the forced deportation of Afghan refugees.
The EU delegation in Afghanistan and the EU envoy for Afghanistan have not yet commented on the meeting or the financial commitment.
The new commitment comes just days after the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported a 30% increase in opium production in Afghanistan in 2024 compared to the previous year.
In a report dated November 27, the UNODC revealed that Afghanistan produced 433 tons of opium in 2024. Additionally, the value of this year’s opium harvest is estimated at $260 million, marking a 130% increase compared to 2023.
After their return to power three years ago, the Taliban, who had financed their insurgency against the previous government and Western nations for years through the drug trade, declared a ban on the cultivation, production, trafficking, and use of drugs across Afghanistan.
Following the ban, the UNODC reported a significant 95% drop in the supply of opium, from 6,200 tons in 2022 to just 333 tons in 2023.
However, a recent investigative report by KabulNow revealed that, despite the ban, farmers in provinces like Helmand and Badakhshan have resumed poppy cultivation, harvesting up to four times a year as they did before. The lack of viable alternative crops is believed to be a major factor driving farmers back to poppy cultivation.
The report also found that drug prices have surged since the ban, with the price of opium rising from $70/kg before the ban to $1,200/kg. Similarly, the price of heroin increased from $340/kg to $6,120/kg, methamphetamine from $120/kg to $510/kg, and hashish from $34/kg to $120/kg.
