If poppies can grow all over the world, why is it that opium production is so heavily concentrated in Afghanistan?

Question

If poppies can grow all over the world, why is it that opium production is so heavily concentrated in Afghanistan?

In: 8505

Answer 1

Farming is hard in Afghanistan. Really hard.

Poppies are very drought resistant and the seeds are ready to transport. That makes a more reliable source of income compared to other crops, so many farmers had at least a portion of land attributed to growing poppies.

Afghanistan is big, rural, and poorly controlled even by the Taliban. So that gives rise to people growing poppies because it’s better than other crops, more likely to pay them well, and the Taliban themselves see it as a source of income.

However all is not as it once was. The Taliban recently outlawed production again, right in the middle of a harvest. It’s doubtful that there will be quite as much grown over the coming years.