Afghanistan

Estimates total opium cultivation in 2008 in Afghanistan at 157,000 hectares, a 19% reduction compared to 2007. 98% of the total cultivation is confined to 7 provinces with security problems: 5 are in the south and 2 in the west of Afghanistan. Of the 38 provinces in the country, 18 were poppy-free in 2008 compared to 13 in 2007. The total opium production in 2008 is est. at 7,700 metric tons, a 6% reduction compared to 2007. Almost all of the production takes place in the same 7 provinces where the cultivation is concentrated. The gross income for farmers who cultivated opium poppy was est. at US$730 million in 2008. This is a decrease from 2007, when farmgate income for opium was estimated at US$1 billion. Maps, tables and graphs.