Washington ( CNN ) -- America 's drug war in Afghanistan is failing badly , according to a new report from a U.S. government watchdog . Afghan farmers are growing record bumper crops of opium poppies , an unprecedented 209,000 hectares in 2013 , according to a report issued Tuesday by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction . This despite various U.S. agencies spending $ 7.6 billion to try to stop narcotics production in Afghanistan . Afghanistan is the source of 80 % of the world 's illegal opium , the U.S. government says , yielding $ 3 billion in sales in 2013 , up from $ 2 billion from the year earlier . According to the report , a big chunk of that money funds the insurgency and terrorism . `` The recent record-high level of poppy cultivation calls into question the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of those prior efforts , '' the report by the SIGAR office says . `` Given the severity of the opium problem and its potential to undermine U.S. objectives in Afghanistan , I strongly suggest that your departments consider the trends in opium cultivation and the effectiveness of past counternarcotics efforts when planning future initiatives . '' The report says the 209,000 hectares record in 2013 , surpasses the previous mark of 193,000 of opium poppy grown in 2007 . The report relies on figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime . The inspector general report says that areas that were once models for successful counterinsurgency and counternarcotics efforts are now booming poppy producers . The report cites Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan , which the UN declared `` poppy-free '' in 2008 , but saw a fourfold increase in opium poppy production between 2012-2013 . The inspector general sent the report to the State , Defense and Justice departments , whose agencies fund various anti-drug efforts in Afghanistan . The State Department called the findings `` disappointing , '' but blamed the increase in opium poppy production on shifts in the Afghan government 's own security efforts . The Pentagon asked the inspector general to remove Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel from receiving the report because the military plays a secondary role to other U.S. government agencies in thwarting drug production in Afghanistan . `` In our opinion , the failure to reduce poppy cultivation and increase eradication is due to the lack of Afghan government support for the effort , '' Michael Lumpkin , assistant secretary of defense wrote to the inspector general . `` Poverty , corruption , the terrorism nexus to the narcotics trade , and access to alternative livelihood opportunities that provide an equal or greater profit than poppy cultivation are all contributors to the Afghan drug problem . ''
Afghanistan has kept growing bumper crops of opium poppies , providing 80 % of the world 's illegal opium supply . The report comes Tuesday from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction . U.S. agencies have spent $ 7.6 billion to stop narcotics production in the Middle Eastern country . The State Department blames Afghanistan 's security efforts for not controlling the spread .