After decades of war, Colombian farmers face a new test: Peace
The Colombian government sees peace as its biggest chance in decades to uproot the rebel-controlled drug trade and replace it with crops that are legal
The New York Times (US)
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Every three months or so, Javier Tupaz, a father of six, heads downhill from his clapboard home to work in his cocaine laboratory. Under a black tent in the jungle, he shovels coca leaves into a giant vat with gasoline, then adds cement powder — the first steps in his cocaine recipe. Like everyone in his village, Mr. Tupaz depends on coca for cash and has survived decades of war here in Colombia. He churned out his product during the seemingly endless conflict between the rebels and the government, which tried many times to destroy his coca plants. He simply replanted. But there is one thing that Mr. Tupaz says his crops may not survive: peace.
tags:
