Afghan farmers grow poppies despite Taliban’s ban

Taliban forces work to destroy a poppy field in Badakhshan province, Afghanistan, in May 2024. A Taliban Interior Ministry post on social media platform X says that poppies were eradicated from 32 acres of land in six Afghan provinces. Residents of Argo, Afghanistan, gather after clashes with Taliban forces that killed two people. Aminullah Taib, deputy Taliban governor of Badakhshan, Afghanistan, explains to residents that the Taliban will not allow people to grow poppies. Argo, Afghanistan, resident Abdul Hafiz says the Taliban did not respect the people there. Hassebullah, a farmer in Laghman province, Afghanistan, says he and other farmers need help from the Taliban government if they are not going to be allowed to grow poppies.

Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan was down sharply last year, according to the United Nations and private sources, but the plants are being grown in most provinces despite a ban imposed by the Taliban. Some areas grow more than others.