Bayan News – Local authorities of the caretaker government in Badakhshan have reported the arrest of over 100 farmers on charges of cultivating opium poppy.
Shafiqullah Hafizi, director of the anti-narcotics department of the provincial police in Badakhshan, added that the detained farmers are residents of the districts of Argo, Daraim, Yaftal Payan, Jurm, Shahada, and Baharak, and they were arrested while cultivating poppy.
Earlier, it was reported that Taliban forces had arrested 31 people from the center and three districts of Badakhshan two days ago on similar charges.
Despite this, the caretaker government has banned the cultivation of poppy, the production of narcotics, and their trade.
However, despite this ban, the United Nations has reported an increase in poppy cultivation and opium production in its recent report.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the geography of poppy cultivation has shifted from the south to the northeast of the country.
The report notes that this year, contrary to previous years, 59% of poppy fields are in northeastern Afghanistan, particularly in Badakhshan.
World Food Programme: Millions of People in Afghanistan Struggle to Obtain Food
