Members of the Meshrano Jirga (the Upper House of Parliament) on Tuesday said the reason for the increase in poppy fields in the country is because high-ranking officials are involved in drug smuggling activities. 

Senators made the remarks during the counter narcotics minister, Salamat Azimi’s, appearance. Azimi and officials from the interior and public health ministries had been summoned to answer questions over the increase in poppy cultivation in the country.

According to the senators, government should reveal the names of officials involved in drug smuggling activities.  

“Approximately this year hundreds of tons of drugs have been taken out of the country. How were these drugs smuggled? No doubt someone has a hand in it,” said senator Mustafa Zahir. 

“If the high figures of the country are involved in this, if influential people in the interior ministry are involved in this, reveal their names,” senator Farhad Sakhi said. 

Azimi also raised concerns over the increase of drug cultivation and said last year 328,000 acres of land had been cultivated for poppies in 24 provinces. 

According to Azimi, the two main reasons for this increase was because of insecurity and the rise in demand for opium around the world.

“Drugs have been cultivated on 328,000 acres of land in 24 provinces,” Azimi said. 

Some senators also raised concerns over the increase in drug addicts in Kabul and said some police members work as drug dealers. 

“Unfortunately some members of Kabul police receive money from some smugglers when dealing drugs,” senate defense commission head Hashim Alokozay said. 

Kabul police chief Mohammad Daud Amin however said in the last month they have arrested over 230 drug dealers in the capital.  

“If we receive reports on anyone, no matter how high he is, we will prosecute him,” said Amin. 

Late last year the Brookings Institution in the US reported that from 2016 to 2017, the area under opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan increased by 63 percent, to 328,000 hectares; the estimated total production of opium shot up by 87 percent to 9,000 metric tons.

That’s the most in Afghan history, the institution reported.

According to them, most of the expansion took place in Helmand province. With 144,000 ha cultivated with poppy, Helmand alone surpasses production levels in all of Myanmar, the world’s second largest producer of opiates.

But cultivation expanded throughout the country, including in the north, such as in Balkh and Jawzjan, the Brookings Institution stated.