Colombian farmers keep growing coca despite government crackdown and U.S. pressure
The Colombian government seems to be responding to pressure from Washington
The Miami Herald (US)
Friday, October 27, 2017
Friday, October 27, 2017
According to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, Colombia’s overall coca crop grew by a staggering 52 percent last year, to 345,000 acres, an area ten times the size of Miami. The military and police are trying to crack down, sending teams to rip the plants out of the ground. Many farmers are resisting, taking to the streets this week in several areas of rural Colombia, claiming they aren’t being offered any other feasible ways to make a living. They say the forced-eradication programs, which receive U.S. support, are leading to deadly clashes in the countryside, as farmers struggle to protect their crops.
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