Taliban Agriculture Minister Calls for Global Focus on Alternative Crop Cultivation

The Taliban’s Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock stated that the lack of serious international attention to alternative crop cultivation and support services for farmers remains a fundamental challenge for Afghanistan’s agricultural sector. Atallah Amri claimed that despite billions of dollars spent in the past to prevent narcotics cultivation, the phenomenon not only persisted but increased.

Amri added that after the Taliban’s return to power, and without foreign aid, narcotics cultivation in Afghanistan has “almost reached zero.” He attributed this change to new circumstances and placed the current responsibility on the international community to seriously focus on developing alternative crop cultivation. However, this claim has not been transparently confirmed by independent international organizations and requires on-the-ground assessment.

According to the Agriculture Minister, non-governmental organizations must play a more active role in this sector and reconsider their approaches instead of repeating previous programs. Referencing past experience, he said that the availability of large financial resources without effective and accountable planning failed to prevent the expansion of narcotics cultivation.

Amri also spoke about the expansion of alternative crop programs over the past four years, highlighting saffron as one of the most important alternatives, which, according to him, has established its position in domestic and international markets. He claimed that preventing foreign saffron from mixing with domestic products has increased market trust.

However, agricultural experts emphasize that sustainable success of alternative cultivation requires farmers’ access to markets, technical services, water, livelihood security, and transparency in policy-making—issues that still face serious challenges in Afghanistan’s current conditions. The Taliban’s Agriculture Ministry has announced that, in addition to saffron, products such as cotton, fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, and cereals have been considered as alternatives to opium poppy cultivation in several provinces.