As Afghan farmers struggle with high operating costs and low crop prices, more are taking a risk by illegally growing poppy to feed their families. Poppy is a key ingredient in opium – which can then be used to make heroin – and Afghanistan has long been a major producer. Before the Taliban banned cultivation in 2022, the country supplied more than 80% of the world’s opium. Now, farmers hide poppies among tall cereal crops, harvest them secretly, and sell them on the black market. The surge could have consequences far beyond Afghanistan: a growing supply could drive down drug prices across Asia and Europe.
Hard Numbers
Afghanistan’s poppy problem
Will Fitzpatrick
By Will FitzpatrickOctober 29, 2026
Will Fitzpatrick
Will Fitzpatrick is a multimedia reporter and producer at GZERO, where he does a little bit of everything: writing for the GZERO Daily, creating social videos, producing GZERO World, and whatever else the news cycle throws his way.
Before GZERO, Will worked in documentary film on both the production and post-production sides, including on Everest: The Other Side and on The First Wave. He has also directed and produced two short documentaries of his own. Outside the film world, Will has worked as a freelance journalist, with reporting that has taken him from the dhow workshops of Oman to the mountains of Patagonia, with plenty of stops in between. He’s especially interested in the niche, hard-to-reach, and underreported stories that reveal something bigger about how the world works.
Will studied economics and world politics at Hamilton College and received his Master’s in journalism from New York University. When he's not reporting, you can likely find Will tending to his oyster farm, on a bike, or somewhere outdoors.
