Taliban Official Claims Narcotics Eradicated in Afghanistan, Cotton Production on the Rise
Nuruddin Azizi, the Taliban-appointed Minister of Industry and Commerce, announced during a communication conference and business meetings between Afghan and Uzbek private sector members that narcotics have been eradicated in Afghanistan. According to him, “Afghan cotton” is now being produced instead, known for its high quality.
These remarks come amid ongoing concerns, as drug cultivation and trafficking have been major economic and security challenges in Afghanistan over recent years. Although the Taliban administration has repeatedly spoken about banning opium poppy cultivation, no clear independent data or detailed statistics on the actual reduction or complete elimination have been made transparently available to the media.
At the meeting, focused on expanding economic cooperation between the private sectors of the two countries, Azizi highlighted cotton as an economic alternative and emphasized its quality. Afghanistan is considered a significant cotton producer in the region, and cotton farming is a source of income for rural populations in several provinces.
However, economic experts believe that sustainable replacement of alternative crops requires long-term planning, investment in infrastructure, and reliable access to regional markets. Observers expect the Taliban administration to provide more detailed explanations regarding how these goals will be achieved.
