UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports that opium production in Afghanistan has jumped to a record level this year, up by 87 percent compared to 2016.
According to the agency's latest survey report released Wednesday, the area under opium poppy cultivation also increased to a record 328,000 hectares in 2017, up by 63 percent compared with 201,000 hectares in 2016.
UNODC said that the increase in production is mainly a result of an increase in the area under opium poppy cultivation, while an increase in opium yield per hectare also contributed.
The agency also noted that a lack of quality education, scarce employment opportunities, and limited access to financial markets and services, are turning local people to opium cultivation, and it called on the Afghan government and the international community to reprioritize drug control in the country.
In addition, the survey also showed that the number of Afghan provinces cultivating poppy rose from 21 to 24. There are reportedly only 10 poppy-free provinces in the country.
Afghanistan is the world's top cultivator of poppy, from which opium and heroin are produced. The Taliban militants are heavily involved in the poppy cultivation and opium distribution especially in areas under their control.
