There are signs of increased levels of poppy planting in Afghanistan in 2026, especially in Badakhshan in northeast Afghanistan, where widespread cultivation has persisted despite the Taliban drugs ban. There are also changing patterns of poppy cultivation in neighbouring Pakistan and Iran where farmers from southwest Afghanistan are increasingly relocating to cultivate poppy in response to the Taliban’s efforts to restrict opium production. Of particular concern is the evide

The downturn in Afghan methamphetamine production is being replaced (and potentially eclipsed) by a growth in the industry south of the border in Balochistan

Over the past seven years, Alcis has been tracking the changing nature of Afghanistan’s agriculture and rural economies, with a focus on opium poppy cultivation. Each year, using satellite imagery, we have mapped the entire country at a field level to understand where and what changes are taking place. This year’s analysis has revealed a landscape under immense strain, one defined by drought, declining livelihoods, and a quiet but noticeable return of opium poppy.  The number

Although the Taliban took power four years ago, and poppy cultivation has remained at historically low levels since 2023, declining opium prices, widespread poppy cultivation in Badakhshan, and the rise of opium production in the Taliban’s heartlands in the southwest indicate that the Taliban drugs ban is at risk. Regional factors are also undermining the poppy ban. Increased poppy cultivation in Pakistan is putting downward pressure on prices, undercutting the value of opium