UN shock at Colossal Colombia Cocaine rise
Pastor Dale Morgan
*UN shock at Colossal Colombia Cocaine rise*
BBC - Colombia's cultivation of coca, the raw material for cocaine,
jumped last year by 27%, a United Nations report says.
The UN's office on drugs and crime (UNODC) says the increase is "a
surprise and a shock" given Colombia's efforts to destroy coca crops.
The US has also spent millions of dollars to help Colombia, the biggest
cocaine producer, eradicate coca.
The main reason for the rise is that growers are managing to replant the
crop quickly, the UN says.
The 2007 Andean coca survey shows that the total area of land under coca
cultivation in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru in 2007 was 181,600 hectares -
a 16% increase on 2006 and the highest level since 2001.
The biggest rise was in Colombia. Bolivia and Peru saw much smaller
increases - 5% and 4% respectively.
"The increase in coca cultivation is a surprise and shock: a surprise
because it comes at a time when the Colombian government is trying to
hard to eradicate coca; a shock because of the magnitude of
cultivation," said Antonio Maria Costa, head of the UNODC.
The UNODC report points out that almost half of cocaine production in
Colombia is in just 5% of the country.
"Just like in Afghanistan, where most of the opium is grown in provinces
with a heavy Taleban presence, in Colombia most coca is grown in areas
controlled by insurgents," said Mr Costa.
"In the future, with the Farc (Colombia's biggest rebel group) in
disarray, it may become easier to control coca cultivation."
Crop prices'
Despite the rise in the coca crop, cocaine production in the Andean
region remained almost unchanged in 2007, up from 984 tonnes to 994.
The UNODC says this is because farmers are having to move into smaller,
more dispersed locations to avoid eradication operations and aerial
spraying.
Anti-narcotics police officer in Colombia officer stands by burning coca
lab destroyed in anti-drugs operation.
Colombia gets major US funding to tackle the illegal drugs trade
Since 2000, Washington has spent some $5bn (£2.5bn) to fight drug
trafficking, train the Colombian army to battle insurgents and improve
the institutions of government.
However, there has been criticism, including from some Democrats in the
US Congress, that the aid is targeted mainly at the military, rather
than for social projects to help farmers switch to other crops.
Regarding Bolivia, the UNODC says the main coca-growing regions include
La Asunta and the Yungas de La Paz where investment in development has
been scarce.
Rising prices for crops such as coffee, palm oil and cocoa which are
grown under alterative development programmes, are convincing a growing
number of farmers not to replant coca, the UNODC says.