Colombia forces struggle to root out coca
Colombian forces sent to rip green coca plants from the earth to end a trade fueling violence complain the crops are being replanted as fast as they can destroy them. Colombia is ranked by the United Nations as the world’s biggest producer of coca-the raw material for cocaine-which has funded armed groups in the more than half-century conflict.
In a new peace deal, the state and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the country’s biggest rebel group, agreed to eradicate coca and replace it with safer crops like coffee and cacao. In Narino, a major coca-producing region in the southwest, those carrying out the eradication work are feeling exasperated. Sweat soaks the face of Ivan Hidalgo, a 19-year-old assistant police official, rifle on shoulder, who has spent the past two months uprooting coca plants in the sweltering settlement of Llorente. “You’re tearing out the coca,” he said, “and the farmers are planting it again behind your back.”
‘Too much coca’
The surrounding municipality of Tumaco had nearly 17,000 hectares in 2015, according to the latest UN figures. The Narino district overall has nearly 30,000. Among so much coca, assistant police officials like Pablo Riveros are tearing out the plants with their bare hands. “There is too much coca,” Riveros says. Authorities have since January eradicated 200 hectares by hand and a further 400 hectares by spraying them with chemical herbicide. But their efforts hardly seem to be making a dent in Narino. The mountains of the area are still blanketed in lush green coca leaves. “The community is always going to be there watching out for people coming to eradicate the crops,” says Elvins Caldon, who sprays the coca with herbicide.
Earning a living
Coca farmers complain they are getting a raw deal under the eradication agreement. They say the government has not delivered on promises to replace the crop, which yields four harvests a year. Coca growers in Narino have blocked roads and faced off with authorities in recent weeks, sparking clashes that have left at least one person dead and four injured. “We want a decent living for our children,” the National Coca, Poppy and Marijuana Growers’ Coordinator organization said in a statement. — AFP