The BBC Urdu service reported that, according to Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, 36,109 jiribs of land in the province have been planted with opium poppies this year.
Sources, citing journalist and analyst Saleem Shahid, noted that Afghanistan was once the world’s largest center for opium cultivation. However, following the Taliban’s return to power, those involved in the trade have shifted their focus to Balochistan.
Shahid added that the profits from this cultivation are extremely high. In some areas, locals have even erected tall walls around their land to prevent authorities from seeing the poppy crops.
According to the BBC Urdu report, before Afghanistan imposed a ban on opium cultivation, the country produced 80 percent of the world’s opium. However, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports that opium production in Afghanistan has now declined by 95 percent.
International media recently reported, based on satellite imagery, that Pakistan has emerged as one of the world’s largest hubs for illicit drug cultivation and production.