Poppy Production Plummets in Afghanistan

According to the new Afghanistan Opium Survey by the UN, cropland used for opium poppy growing was down 95% vs last year. The Taliban, who seized power in the country in 2021, have been conducting a campaign against the cultivation of the plant since this year - which observers have called sophisticated. However, the sudden end of poppy growing that provided a livelihood for many in Afghanistan has put a large number of people at risk of even more drastic poverty.