Afghanistan opium poppy cultivation at record high

13th November 2014 | AFP

Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan reached a record high in 2014, a United Nations report revealed on Wednesday, highlighting the failure of the multi-billion dollar US-led campaign to crack down on the lucrative crop. The total area under cultivation was about 224,000 hectares in 2014, a seven per cent increase on last year, according to the Afghanistan Opium Survey released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Confiscated alcohol and drugs are seen burning in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. — AFP

An Afghan farmer collects raw opium as he works in a poppy field in Khogyani District of Nangarhar province. — AFP

An Afghan farmer works in a poppy field on the outskirts of Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province. — AFP

An Afghan security force member destroys an illegal poppy crop in the Noor Gal district of eastern Kunar province. — AFP

Afghan government officials and policemen watch as a cache of alcohol and drugs burn in Kabul. — AFP

Poppy seedheads stand amidst the blooming flowers in a field on the outskirts of Kandahar. — AFP