The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan dropped by 20% in 2025 compared with the previous year, marking a sharp contraction in the illicit crop sector, according to its report released on 6 November.
The total cultivated area declined to 10,200 hectares from 12,800 in 2024 - a fraction of the 232,000 hectares recorded in 2022 before the Taliban's nationwide ban. Opium production fell even faster, dropping 32% to an estimated 296 tons.

Farmers' income from opium plunged from $260 million to $134 million, as many switched to wheat and other legal crops. Severe drought and poor rainfall, however, left more than 40% of farmland idle, worsening rural poverty.

UNODC Regional Representative Oliver Stolpe said Afghanistan's recovery depends on“long-term international investment and sustainable alternatives,” urging equal focus on supporting farmers, reducing demand, and tackling trafficking networks.

The return of nearly four million Afghans from neighboring countries has strained limited resources and jobs, while cuts in humanitarian aid risk pushing communities back toward illicit cultivation.

Dry opium prices fell by 27% to about $570 per kilogram but remain five times higher than before the 2022 ban, keeping profits attractive for some growers.

At the same time, UNODC warned that methamphetamine production has surged, with seizures up 50% by late 2024, the organization warned. Officials said organized crime groups are shifting to synthetics due to lower costs, easier concealment, and resistance to climate impacts.

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