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Published September 2009
The 2009 edition of this yearly UN Office on Drugs and Crime report states,
"The total opium poppy cultivation estimated for Afghanistan in 2009 was 123,000
hectares (ha), a 22% reduction compared to the level in 2008. Ninety nine per cent of the
total cultivation took place in seven provinces in the Southern and Western regions6,
including the most insecure provinces in the country. This further substantiates the link
between insecurity and opium cultivation observed since 2007.
Total opium production in 2009 was estimated at 6,900 metric tons (mt), a 10% decrease
from 2008. Virtually all the production (99%) took place in the same provinces where
cultivation is concentrated. The other provinces produced only 1% of the country’s total
opium in 2009.
The seven main opium cultivating and producing provinces were Hilmand, Kandahar,
Uruzgan, Day Kundi, Zabul, Farah and Badghis. The province of Nimroz is not on this
list because its main opium cultivating area, located in Khash Rod district, was
administratively re-defined as part of Farah province. The Northern region was poppy
free for the first time in a decade.
Among the 34 provinces in the country, 20 were poppy free in 2009, compared to 18 in
2008. With the exception of Nangarhar, all provinces that were poppy free in 2008
remained so in 2009. The new poppy free provinces are Kapisa, Baghlan and Faryab.
The total estimated farm-gate income of opium growing farmers amounted to US$ 438
million. This is a significant decrease from 2008, when farm-gate income for opium was
estimated at US$ 730 million."
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