The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conducts annual surveys of opium cultivation in Afghanistan. While UNODC does not conduct specific cannabis cultivation surveys in Afghanistan, it provides estimates based upon interviews with village elders while undertaking its opium survey. We remain concerned by the total opium cultivation figures, but welcome the UNODC's findings that it expects cultivation to “decrease slightly in 2008”. Poppy cultivation has increased primarily in the south, where insecurity is greatest. Where security, alternative livelihoods and governance exists, poppy cultivation has fallen: in 2007, the number of poppy free provinces doubled from six to 13. This year we hope to see further progress and support the Government of Afghanistan's target of over half of all provinces going poppy free in 2008. The following data is drawn from the UNODC surveys.
Potential total volume of opium production (metric tonnes) Estimated opium cultivation (hectares) Opium poppy as a percentage of agricultural land Estimated cannabis cultivation (hectares) 2007 8,200 193,000 4 70,000 2006 6,100 165,000 4 50,000 2005 4,100 104,000 2 30,000 2004 4,200 131,000 3 1— 2003 3,600 80,000 2 1— 2002 3,400 74,000 1 1— 2001 185 8,000 2— 1— 2000 3,276 82,172 2— 1— 1999 4,565 91,983 2— 1— 1998 2,693 64,674 2— 1— 1 Not recorded. 2 Date not available.