To stop the expansion of coca crops in the country, Colombia would not only have to “dramatically” expand development and security in rural areas but continue to forcibly eradicate plantations, expand voluntary eradication and increase cocaine and chemical precursor interdiction operations.
That is the main conclusion of the Annual Report on International Narcotics Control Strategies (INCRS), the annual report produced by the State Department in which it evaluates the fight against drugs worldwide.
The report, known to this newspaper, also says that Both substitution programs and those aimed at rural development must be adequately funded to ensure that crop reductions are sustainable in the long term..
“Coca cultivation in Colombia continues to increase due to a lack of rural development and security, as well as sustained or increasing demand in consuming countries. To prevent further growth of coca cultivation, Colombia will need to dramatically expand security and rural development, while continuing with forced eradication, expands (voluntary) eradication and increases cocaine and precursor interdiction operations,” the report says in one of its sections.
Coca cultivation in Colombia continues to increase due to a lack of rural development and security, as well as sustained or growing demand in consuming countries.
The report highlights, in turn, the interdiction efforts that both the Police and the Army have been making to prevent the entry into the United States of hundreds of tons of cocaine and mentions how, despite the change in approach that has been experienced under Gustavo Petro's administration, cooperation with the country has been sustained in the fight against narcotics.
According to the report, Colombia reported the seizure of more than 841 metric tons of coca throughout 2023, an increase of almost 10 percent compared to the 766 that were documented in 2022. Likewise, the destruction of 5,260 laboratories for the production of cocaine was recorded, 12 percent more than what was reported in the previous period.
But the report also mentions how Colombia only eradicated about 20 thousand hectares of coca last year compared to 69,000 in 2022 and that it is equivalent to a decrease of 70 percent.
“Colombian President Gustavo Petro de-emphasized forced eradication, with some members of his administration describing it as an inefficient tactic, with little long-term utility, and negative side effects. Additionally, Colombian forces were periodically called upon to respond to the protests and addressing citizen security issues in urban centers, which limited overall year-round eradication capacity; the military stopped forced eradication operations altogether,” the report states.
According to the State Department, although forced eradication continued, its pace was significantly reduced and completely suspended in some areas of the country.
When describing President Petro's new drug policy, launched in September 2023, The State Department says it tries to balance rural development and anti-drug programs in an effort to address security and governance in rural areas.
“The main objective of the policy is to transfer 50,000 of the 115,000 small-scale coca producers to legal alternatives by 2026 and thus reduce coca cultivation by 90,000 hectares. The plan promotes an inter-institutional and whole-of-government approach that is largely in line with the holistic Counternarcotics Strategy between the United States and Colombia,” the report maintains.
However, the report says, its implementation faces not only operational but budgetary obstacles.
“The Colombian government estimates that the policy will cost US$5.2 billion from different agencies, but this would not be new money. The government has not identified the budgetary sources for the implementation of this drug policy,” the report states.
Furthermore – continues the State Department – “the policy lacks a high-level coordination mechanism to ensure its effective implementation in priority geographic areas, including rural areas with weak institutional presence. The strategy is promising for addressing the institutional problems that “limit security and economic development in rural Colombia, but the government needs to adequately fund and support implementation to ensure its success.”
SERGIO GĂ“MEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent
Washington
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