Global Poppy Production: Myanmar Emerges as a Top Producer While Afghanistan Struggles with Opiate Crisis”.

In recent years, Afghanistan has been known as the world’s largest poppy producer, with opium derived from this plant being used to produce heroin. However, with the Taliban regaining power in April 2022, the new Afghan government implemented a strict ban on poppy cultivation. As a result, potential opium production in Afghanistan decreased by 95 percent between 2022 and 2023, dropping to 333 tons.

Despite efforts to reduce opium production in Afghanistan, many Afghan farmers depended heavily on their poppy fields for income. The resulting increase in heroin prices led to the emergence of new and potentially more dangerous substances like fentanyl. Despite this setback, other countries have stepped up to fill the gap left by Afghanistan’s decline. Myanmar emerged as the country with the highest potential opium production in 2023, surpassing Mexico. Myanmar’s estimated production capabilities in this area more than doubled compared to 2021. Mexico had a potential production of oven-dry opium of 166 in 2022, with estimates for the following year still pending. Laos and Colombia also contributed to global opium production in previous years although they were not specifically listed due to limited data availability.