Opium is the lifeblood of the Taliban. If the U.S. has any hopes of leaving Afghanistan without the Taliban immediately filling the vacuum with well-trained and well-funded militias, it must put an end to the opium production. Unfortunately for the U.S. and coalition troops, opium production is highly lucrative and is on the rise.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (unodc) has released its Afghanistan opium survey for 2013, and the figures don’t look good.

According to the unodc, “opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan reached a sobering record high in 2013. According to the 2013 Afghanistan Opium Survey, cultivation amounted to some 209,000 hectares, outstripping the earlier record in 2007 of 193,000 hectares, and representing a 36 percent increase over 2012.”

The damage isn’t just being felt in provinces that are renowned for producing large quantities of opium. “[T]wo provinces that had previously been declared poppy-free, Faryab and Balkh in northern Afghanistan, lost this status. … All regions experienced an increase in poppy cultivation levels.”

Every province saw more poppy growth. The actual production of opium also increased in most provinces. “All in all, opium production in 2013 went up to some 5,500 tons, a 49 percent increase over 2012.”

Not only has there been more poppy planting, but the yield has also increased. “[A]verage opium yield amounted to 26.3 kilograms [57.98 pounds] per hectare in 2013, which was some 11 percent more than in 2012.” A higher yield helped lower the price of opium to $172 per kilogram. But that is still four times the profit made from the same quantity of wheat in Afghanistan.

The gross value of opium on the Afghan economy is estimated to be $3.1 billion—an increase of $1.1 billion over 2012! Could Afghanistan witness such rapid poppy expansion if the nation was held under tighter control of coalition forces? The truth is that where security is weaker, terrorists are stronger, and where the terrorists are stronger, the opium industry flourishes.

The expansion of Afghanistan’s opium industry is testimony to the resurgence of the Taliban and the diminishing impact of the United States—in Afghanistan and the entire Mideast as a whole. All the while, a booming opium market is making the task of defeating the Taliban increasingly unlikely. The Trumpet has been warning of the inevitable demise of the U.S. in the region for over a decade.

If you are interested in following these trends and gaining a deeper appreciation of just where world events are leading, the Trumpet has what you need. Visit the website and subscribe to the Trumpet Weekly newsletter and the monthly Trumpet magazine. Both are free of charge, and will give you an understanding of the news that you won’t find in your everyday paper.