Satellites map 9,000 hectares of poppies in Balochistan

Satellite data reveals that more than 9,000 hectares of poppy cultivation now exist in Pakistan's Balochistan Province. This figure marks a sharp increase in opium production within the country's southwestern region, a shift driven largely by cross-border agricultural activity.

David Mansfield, a UK-based expert on illicit drugs, authored an August report for the British firm Alcis. The report states that the majority of these new crops are concentrated in the districts of Loralai and Killa Abdullah. Mansfield described the remote borderlands of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan as a global center for opium production. He noted that poppies can be harvested twice a year, and many farmers doubled their cultivated land in 2026. This expansion suggests that cultivation levels could rise significantly in 2027.

Afghan farmers from Kandahar and Helmand provinces have moved across the border to lease land in Pakistan. These growers bring capital and technical knowledge, investing millions of Pakistani rupees in solar-powered wells. They share profits with local landowners, creating a new economic structure in areas previously devoted to fruit farming. Lala Jan Kakar, a resident of Killa Abdullah, explained that drought and flash floods have devastated traditional agriculture. He stated that the demand for poppies and the resulting income far exceed those of fruits.

Local politics complicate the enforcement of eradication campaigns. Abdul Qahar Wadan, a former National Assembly member from Killa Abdullah, alleged that senior military officials and pro-government power brokers support the cultivation. They reportedly take commissions from growers. Monawar Hussain, the district's chief administrative officer, rejected this claim. He said cultivation declined after an eradication campaign last year, but Alcis imagery from 2026 shows no clear evidence of that reduction. An anonymous farmer in Killa Abdullah said growers pay bribes through intermediaries. He alleged that officials sometimes destroy poppies planted on barren land to publicize enforcement efforts.

Pakistan's Interior Ministry and the provincial government did not respond to requests for comment. Islamabad has denied reports of widespread opium cultivation and insists that found crops are destroyed. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that opium production in Pakistan remains marginal. The agency acknowledged, however, that sharp rises in eradication figures point to spillover effects from the region.

A similar pattern has emerged in Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province, which borders Afghanistan. Afghan farmers work there as tenants and sharecroppers, often using family ties to secure land. Satellite imagery from 2026 shows extensive poppy fields in the area, some using drip irrigation. This costly investment suggests growers expected little risk of eradication. Mansfield described a shift from mixed farming to large-scale poppy monoculture in these border regions.

Inside Afghanistan, the Taliban ban on illicit narcotics has not stopped all production. Cultivation has rebounded in northeastern Badakhshan Province, which accounts for around half of the national output. Mansfield noted that southwestern cultivation almost doubled between 2025 and 2026. Farmers in these areas often conceal crops within wheat fields or behind compound walls to evade detection.