How Taliban’s crackdown on poppy fields is multiplying wheat cultivation  

• Taliban leaders claim that the prohibition was put in place because of the Afghani’ religious beliefs and the harmful effects of opium, which is made from poppies.

• A large number of people in Afghanistan have become drug addicts during the last 20 years of war. The cultivation of poppy was increasing before the Taliban started their crackdown on the fields as well as drug addicts.

The anti-narcotics unit of the Taliban is on a mission to erase the once-thriving poppy fields all across Afghanistan. The crackdown on poppy farming began right after the Taliban came into power, and the efforts to eliminate poppy crops have only intensified. Earlier, the Taliban’s supreme leader Haibatullah Akhunzada prohibited the cultivation of poppy, from which a key ingredient in heroin called opium is extracted.

According to the leadership of the Taliban, the ban on poppy was imposed due to the harmful effects of opium and the fact that the use of drugs goes against their belief system. They also say that the violators would be penalised according to sharia law, as the government had given a deadline to raise the poppy fields to ground before cracking down on them.

The country used to produce 80 percent of the world’s opium before the Taliban came into power. In less than two years, the war on poppy has produced great results. While the cultivation of poppy has decreased by 80 percent,  wheat crops are multiplying and supporting the local economy despite being less profitable than poppy. While many farmers are still finding their feet after this development, they have been mostly complying with the ban imposed by the Taliban.

“We know that people are very poor and they are suffering. But opium’s harm outweighed its benefits. Four million of our people from a population of 37 million were suffering from drug addiction. That is a big number”, said Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid when asked about some farmers who are unhappy with the decision to erase poppy fields due to them being profitable than wheat.  

Many reports state that a large number of people in Afghanistan had become drug addicts during the last 20 years of war. The cultivation of poppy was increasing further before Taliban started their crackdown on the fields as well as drug addicts. Many people have been arrested and sent to rehabilitation centres. The battle-hardened fighters of Taliban have been searching bridges, piles of garbage and streams of filthy water to get hold of men addicted to heroin and methamphetamines. 

Over the last 20 years, the warn-torn country has seen poets, framers, soldiers, merchants, etc., turning to drug addicts. The younger generation bore the brunt of economic collapse and humanitarian catastrophe. However, Taliban’s raids have resulted in the recovery of many individuals who are now living a better life, according to many health workers who are welcoming the heavy-handedness of Taliban to deal with angry drug addicts.

With a major decline in the poppy harvesting, the easy access to drugs is decreasing in most parts of Afghanistan. As a result, the anti-narcotics team of Taliban is optimistic about the number of new drug addicts falling rapidly.