UN says Colombia’s coca crop at all-time high as officials promote new drug policies

By MANUEL RUEDA
Associated Press

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The U.N. says coca cultivation reached an all-time high in Colombia last year the administration of President Gustavo Petro struggles to reduce poverty in remote areas and contain armed groups that are profiting from the cocaine trade. The report says 230,000 hectares of farmland in Colombia were planted with coca in 2022. That was a 13% increase from the previous year. Colombia’s government said Monday that the amount of land planted with coca is increasing at a slower pace than in previous years. It hopes new programs that provide greater economic incentives for farmers to adopt legal crops will help reduce cocaine production in coming years.