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Colombia is again the world’s top coca producer. Here’s why that’s a blow to the U.S.
The coca boom comes at an especially sensitive time for the Colombian government, which is in the final stages of peace negotiations with leftist FARC rebels, who have long profited from the illegal drug trade. Last month the government halted aerial spraying of the crop, citing concerns that the herbicides used may cause cancer. That program had been a pillar of Plan Colombia, under which the United States has provided more than $9 billion to this country since 2000.
Jorgan Andrews, director of the State Department’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs section at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, said the growth in coca production appears to be linked to the peace talks with the FARC and expectations about the substitution programs that may follow.
Andrews said Colombia’s 2015 coca output is projected to go “way up.” Many of the plants added last year have since matured, “so what you’ll see is a big cocaine production spike as those plants come online.” …. https://www.washingtonpost.com
Source: http://luismmx.blogspot.com/2015/11/colombia-is-again-worlds-top-coca.html
