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Official U.S. Colombia Survey Shows Sharp Drop in Coca Cultivation and Cocaine Production
The U.S. Government has completed the 2008 annual estimate of coca cultivation and potential cocaine production for Colombia. Results showed that the area actually cultivated fell 29% in a single year, from 167,000 hectares in 2007 to 119,000 hectares in 2008. New productivity data show that in 2008 Colombia’s maximum potential production dropped sharply from 485 metric tons of pure cocaine to 295 metric tons, a 39% drop. This drop in cocaine production for the second year in a row is likely a major contributor to increase in price and decrease in purity of cocaine in the U.S. – Colombia is the source of an estimated 90 percent of cocaine in the U.S.
According to analysts, the principal reasons for the decline were steadfast aerial and manual eradication pressure delivered against the primary Colombian growing areas, increased government presence and security forces in select growing regions and successful operation against drug trafficking organizations. Violence between trafficking groups and economic disruptions that affect farmers’ planting decisions were also a factor. Eradication pressure, as measured by field-based scientific surveys of the impact of eradication on coca productivity, diminishes not only the size of the coca fields but the ability of remaining fields to produce normal amounts of coca leaf.
The Government of Colombia increased its focus on manual eradication efforts in all major coca growing areas last year. In all, 95,000 hectares were manually eradicated, well above the 66,000 hectares reported in 2007. In addition, high levels of aerial eradication were sustained covering more than 133,000 hectares. Very little cultivation was found outside of 2008 growing areas.
The annual estimate is produced by a scientific sampling of coca fields taken by aerial imagery to represent the known growing areas in Colombia. The survey areas were virtually unchanged from 2007 to 2008.
Bogota D.C., November 6, 2009