United Nations Report: Afghan Opium Cultivation Is Down 20 Percent Due To Drought

VOA: UN: Afghan Opium Cultivation Down 20 Percent

ISLAMABAD — A new United Nations survey finds that opium cultivation in Afghanistan has decreased by 20 percent in 2018 compared to the previous year, citing a severe drought and falling prices of dry opium at the national level.

The total opium-poppy cultivation area decreased to 263,000 hectares, from 328,000 hectares estimated in 2017, but it was
still the second highest measurement for Afghanistan since the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) began monitoring in 1994.

The potential opium production decreased by 29 percent to 6,400 tons from an estimated 9,000 tons in 2017.

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Update #1: Afghan opium producers hit hard by drought in 2018 (AFP)
Update #2: UN Survey Reveals Sharp Drop in Poppy Cultivation (TOLO News)

WNU Editor: Opium cultivation may be down, but it is still the second highest total since records were kept. The UN report is here .... Afghanistan Opium Survey 2018 (UNODC)