Evolving Terrain: Opium Poppy Cultivation in Balkh and Badakhshan Provinces in 2013

It is generally assumed that there will be significant increases in the level of opium poppy cultivation after the critical year 2014, when international military combat forces will withdraw and Afghanistan will select its next president. In 2012-13, at the national level, area cultivated increased for the third consecutive year, and total opium production rose significantly. With 410 hectares (ha) of opium poppy recorded in the province, for the first time since 2007 Balkh is no longer classified as “poppy-free,” while Badakhshan saw an increase of 23 percent in area cultivated, despite reported eradication of the largest area of any province.