The United Nations says opium production in Afghanistan will hit a new high this year.
A new report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime says the country's opium harvest jumped 17 percent from last year to about 6,400 tons.
The report says total land area used for the production of opium expanded in Afghanistan by 7 percent this year, to around 224,000 hectares.
Analysts say Afghanistan produces more than 80 percent of the world's illicit opium, and profits from the illegal trade help fund the Taliban insurgency.
The U.S. has spent $7.8 billion fighting the drug trade in Afghanistan since invading in 2001.
The UNODC’s Jean-Luc Lemahieu said the drug trade accounts for roughly 20 percent of Afghanistan’s gross domestic product. He said the industry indirectly employs more than 410,000 people.
This harvest season one kilogram of dry opium sold for $114, a 20 percent drop from last year, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Lemahieu said some expansion in the poppy industry was expected as the U.S.-led military coalition winds down its combat operations.
After this year, just 12,500 foreign troops will remain in Afghanistan to focus on counterterrorism and on training Afghan troops.
UN: Opium Production in Afghanistan to Hit Record High in 2014