Largest producer of opium

United Nations officials in Afghanistan are hoping that 2008 was a turnaround year for opium production in the country, as output fell by 6% to 7,700 tonnes (8,487 tons). While still the largest opium crop in the world – worth $3.4 billion (£2.3 billion) in illegal heroin trade – it is a sign that government and military pressure (as well as market forces and the weather) is reducing the number of people involved in the growing and selling of poppies (the source of the opium). An estimated 1 million fewer farmers cultivated poppies in 2008, opting instead for the more lucrative wheat and maize, which has risen in price.