The Ministry’s spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said the report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is far from reality, and stated that the Islamic Emirate (Taliban government) has made all possible efforts to eradicate drugs.

The fight against this phenomenon is one of the main priorities of the ministry, and the prohibition of the cultivation and production of narcotics in Afghanistan is a fundamental policy of the Islamic Emirate, Qani stressed.

The spokesman added that according to the ministry’s assessments of drug cultivation and production in Afghanistan, a significant reduction has been observed over the past year compared to previous periods.

Meanwhile, UNODC noted in its report that opium cultivation in Afghanistan increased by 30% compared to last year; and while the country’s production of the drug was low in 2022 and 2023, it is expected to reach 433 tons in 2024.

jrr/arm/mem/nvo