"In 2019, coca cultivation in Bolivia increased by 10% compared to 2018 figures," said Thierry Rostan, representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the country, during a videoconference. He said that the plantations to manufacture cocaine had increased in one year from 23,100 to 25,500 hectares. This area is always much greater than that deemed necessary by experts for traditional consumption.
The coca leaf, the main ingredient in the manufacture of the drug, has also been used since pre-colonial times for traditional uses, such as infusions and religious rituals. It is also chewed to resist the cold, fatigue and combat the effects of altitude.
Areas detected by satellite image
The UNODC has detected the presence of "coca in 6 of the 22 nationally protected areas", where it is prohibited, thanks to satellite images and information gathered in the field. The expansion of coca plantations has mainly taken place in the departments of La Paz and Cochabamba (center), where Chaparé is located, the political bastion of former President Evo Morales, according to the UNODC annual report, who gave no explanation of the causes.
For its part, the interim government of Jeanine Añez (right) blamed the previous administration. “Morales's government has policies in place to encourage illegal coca production by protecting excess production, increasing legal acreage and settlements in parks and nature reserves,” Interior Minister Arturo said. Murillo.
A controversial law in 2017
In 2017, the government of Evo Morales approved a controversial coca law that increased the total area of authorized cultivation from 12,000 to 22,000 hectares by ending the monopoly in the Yungas region. The text legalized illegal plantations in the Chaparé.
Bolivia is the third largest producer of coca leaves in the world, behind Colombia and Peru.
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