KABUL — Opium cultivation rose by 19 percent in Afghanistan this year, the UN reported Wednesday, despite a Taliban government ban that almost eradicated the crop.
Currently, 12,800 hectares of poppies are cultivated in Afghanistan — where up to 80 percent of the population depends on agriculture — a new survey by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows, the agency said in a statement.
