Afghanistan’s opium production hits record, rising by 63 per cent in 2017

AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan’s opium production hits record, rising by 63 per cent in 2017: 


Together with the Afghan Ministry of Counter-Narcotics (MCN), the UN agency has issued a warning, noting that large swathes of the country have become dependent on opium production and trade, which have become a source of funding for rebel groups and a reason for the country’s instability.
The report indicates that the 2017 opium harvest could be turned into some 550-900 tonnes of heroin of export quality (purity between 50 and 70 per cent).
What is more, Afghanistan’s record high opium production has led to a rapid expansion of the illegal economy in 2017, from US$ 4.1 to 6.6 billion, which represents 32 per cent of GDP.