The Taliban announced on Sunday that they would not allow the cultivation of drugs throughout Afghanistan which is the biggest producer of opium worldwide.

“As as per the order by the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan All Afghans are informed that , from today onwards, the cultivating poppy is completely banned across the entire Afghanistan,” according to an order issued by the Supreme Leader of the Taliban, Haibatullah Akhundzada.

“If anyone is found to be in violation of the decree, the crops is destroyed immediately and the offender will be dealt with according to Sharia law. Sharia Law,” the order, made public at a press conference held by Kabul’s Ministry of Interior in Kabul announced.

The order stated that the production and use, as well as transportation of other drugs was prohibited.

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The issue of drug control has been a important demand of the international world community that is part of the Islamist group that took over from the government in august. The group seeks international recognition to ease sanctions that severely hinder development, business and banking.

The Taliban prohibited the cultivation of poppy toward close to the time of their administration in 2000, as they tried to gain international recognition however, they faced a public opposition and then modified their policy as per experts.

The country’s production of opium -which was United Nations estimated was worth $1.4 billion at the end of 2017 has grown during the last few years, farmers as well as Taliban members have told Reuters.

The economic downturn in the country has forced residents of the provinces in the southeast to plant the illegal crop, which could earn the yields faster and more over legal crops like wheat.

Taliban sources said to Reuters they anticipated a tough opposition from certain elements within the Taliban group to the poppy prohibition and said there had been an increase on the amount of farms who cultivate poppy in the last few months.

A farmer from Helmand who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the price of the poppy had more than doubled based on reports that the Taliban will ban cultivation. He said that the need to cultivate poppy was to feed his family.”Other crops are not productive,” he said.