Deeply rooted in Afghanistan’s economy since at least the 1950s, opium production started increasing steadily after the 1979 Soviet invasion. It has contributed to every Afghan conflict since, helping to fund the insurgency which rose to combat ten years of Soviet occupation, the civil war that followed, Taliban rule in the second half of the 1990s, and the post-2001 insurgency.
According to the UNODC, 2013 saw a 24% fall in eradication of poppy fields as well as a significant increase in fatalities and injuries related to eradication efforts (143 people killed, up from 102 in 2012). Two northern provinces previously declared opium-free lost that status.
The most noticeable eradication effort in past decades in fact occurred under Taliban rule: hoping to gain international respect, the Taliban government banned opium production in the year prior to the US-led invasion in 2001. The ban caused a slump in production and a 75% fall in global supply. However, the disappearance of a key source of revenue drove poor farmers into debt and led to widespread discontent. Afghans began violating the ban even before the 2001 invasion. After the ousting of the Taliban, poppy cultivation rose again.
Afghan opium production increased 49% in 2013, reaching a record high. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), potential production was even higher, limited only by unfavourable weather conditions, while eradication efforts diminished. The drug trade helps sustain the military conflict and, with presidential elections in 2014 as well as the planned draw-down of foreign troops, it could contribute to an escalation in coming years.
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