Colombia Sees Coca Cultivation Rise, President Petro Disputes US Claims of 300% Increase
BOGOTÁ – Coca leaf crops in Colombia increased by 3% in 2024, reaching 262,000 hectares, according to figures recently reported by President gustavo petro while in Saudi Arabia. Teh data, from the United Nations Integrated Illicit Crops Monitoring System, had not been publicly released prior to Petro’s proclamation. The increase follows years of fluctuating cultivation levels, and has sparked debate over the effectiveness of Colombia’s anti-drug policies and accusations leveled against Petro’s management.
Petro qualified the figures,stating that 80,000 hectares of the total have been abandoned for more than three years,and another 22,000 are transitioning to legal crops. He attributed the sustained cultivation to increased cocaine consumption in Europe, southern cone cities, and Australia, while suggesting a plateau in US demand due to rising fentanyl use.
The reported increase sharply contrasts with claims made by US Representative María Elvira Salazar, who asserted that coca crops grew by 300% under Petro’s administration. salazar further criticized Petro, calling him “a thief, a Marxist, and a terrorist” and stating he was unwelcome in the United States.
Petro dismissed Salazar’s claims as a “huge lie,” citing past data. He pointed to a 111% increase in coca cultivation in 2013 during the Santos administration,and a 42% increase in 2021 under Duque,compared to a 12% increase during his two years in office.
The White House has expressed disapproval of Petro’s drug policy, maintaining decertification of Colombia. Accusations from former President Trump and his allies have even alleged Petro’s involvement with drug trafficking, leading to his inclusion – along with his wife, Verónica Alcocer, son Nicolás Petro, and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti – on the Clinton List.
