Coca Eradication News Today

President Gustavo Petro's government has been pushing education and alternative crops ever since he took office in Colombia last October

Coca cultivation reached an all-time high in Colombia last year, the U.N. said, as the administration of President Gustavo Petro struggles to reduce poverty in remote areas and contain armed groups that are profiting from the cocaine trade. The new findings on coca growing were published over the weekend by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime, which said 230,000 hectares (nearly 570,000 acres) of farmland in Colombia were planted with coca in 2022, a 13% increase from the previous year....

Peruvian coca farming contributes to increased deforestation rates of the Peruvian Amazon and the prevalence of child labor in rural areas.

Colombia’s 2016 peace deal was a landmark achievement, convincing the FARC guerrillas to disarm and enter civilian life. Yet much remains to be done to show insurgents that they can redress their grievances through ordinary politics. The country’s leaders should recommit to finishing the job.

Colombia’s vast forest is fast receding, partly because guerrillas and criminals are clearing land for farming, ranching and other pursuits. These unregulated activities are causing both dire environmental harm and deadly conflict. Bogotá should take urgent steps to halt the damage.

April 20, 2021 last updated 11:49 ET A soldier stands on a coca field during a manual eradication operation in Tumaco, Colombia, Dec. 30, 2020 (AP photo by Ivan Valencia). Forced Coca Eradication Could Undermine Colombia’s Peace If President Ivan Duque has his way, Colombia will soon resume aerial fumigation of coca plantations for the first time in over five years. It paused the spraying in 2015 due to growing health and environmental concerns over the herbicid...