Colombia coca production lowest in 11 years

Cultivation of coca in Colombia dropped for a second consecutive year in 2009, government sources told newspaper El Tiempo. The number of hectares used for coca production is now at its lowest level in eleven years.

Despite the fact that the original goals for coca eradication were not met last year, authorities were able to lower the number of hectares to 68,025, the newspaper reported Saturday.

2009’s numbers show a 16% drop compared to the year before, when Colombia also saw a decrease in coca production.

The Integrated System of Illicit Crop Monitoring (SIMCI) is expected to officially report their 2009 findings to the United Nations in June after which the UN will include the statistics in its global report on drug production.

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