Pakistani Farmers Plant 9,000 Hectares of Poppies After Afghan Ban

For farmers in Pakistan's Balochistan and Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan, the Taliban's 2022 ban on opium in Afghanistan has changed how they make a living. New satellite data shows that more than 9,000 hectares of poppy crops are now growing in Balochistan alone, marking a sharp increase in production in the region.

David Mansfield, a UK-based expert on the illicit drugs trade, told RFE/RL that the ban and local instability created the conditions for this expansion. He described the remote borderlands of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran as becoming a global center for opium production. The shift is driven by Afghan farmers from Kandahar and Helmand who cross into Pakistan to lease land, bringing capital and farming expertise.

In Killa Abdullah district, cultivation is concentrated in Loralai and Killa Abdullah. Abdul Qahar Wadan, a former National Assembly member, said the crop is rampant and backed by senior military officials who take commissions. Monawar Hussain, the district's chief administrative officer, disputed this, claiming an eradication campaign last year reduced the crop. However, Alcis imagery from 2026 shows no clear evidence of that reduction.

Local farmers describe a cycle of bribery and performance. An anonymous grower in Killa Abdullah said authorities receive bribes through intermediaries. He added that when media attention rises, growers plant poppies on barren land so officials can destroy the crop and publicize the effort. Lala Jan Kakar, a resident, noted that drought and flash floods have ruined traditional fruit farming. He said the income from poppies is much higher than from fruits, making it difficult to resist.

Afghan growers invest millions of Pakistani rupees in solar-powered wells and share profits with local landowners. Poppies can be harvested twice a year, and many farmers doubled their cultivated land in 2026. Mansfield called this expansion a stark indication that cultivation levels will rise further in 2027. The crop has also spread to other Iranian provinces, including Razavi Khorasan, Kermanshah, Lorestan, and Fars.

In Iran, Sistan-Baluchistan remains the main producing region. Satellite images show extensive fields using drip irrigation, a costly setup that suggests growers expected few eradication efforts. Mansfield noted that farmers are shifting from mixed crops to large-scale poppy monoculture. Iranian authorities have been unable or unwilling to destroy the 2026 crop, focusing instead on the war against the United States and Israel since late February.

Inside Afghanistan, production is rebounding despite the ban. Output is concentrated in Badakhshan Province, which accounts for about half of national production, and several southwestern provinces. Farmers have protested the ban due to drought and debt. Mansfield stated that southwestern cultivation almost doubled between 2025 and 2026, though crops are hidden in wheat fields and behind walls.

A recent Taliban directive bars home searches for poppies without a court order. Mansfield warned that farmers may read this as tolerance for cultivation beyond walled compounds. He said a dramatic rise in production is possible in 2027. Armed groups in the region compete for tax revenues from the drugs trade, people smuggling, and fuel and mineral exports.