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The price of coca leaves in Colombia dropped almost 50% because the country is producing 1.4 kilograms per hectare more than in 2016.
In the English media page of The Economist, an article presents the most recent data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which reveals the global demand for Coca Cola y Colombian role.
In this scenario, Colombia became the protagonist of a gloomy story. The x-ray of the coca market in the country touches the Catatumbo region, which was once prosperous and benefited from the money from the illegal market. nonetheless, in recent times, this region has experienced a decline.
(Him too: Petro proposes the government to set up a “plant to buy coca leaves and turn them into fertilizer”)
The article tells how fortune took a dramatic turn, the community, surrounded by abundance, would now fall into adversity and the fight against hunger.
Economists indicate that Drop in prices due to oversupply. According to information provided by Unodc, it is evident that, in recent years, cocaine production has grown faster than demand. In the year 2021, a figure of 204,000 hectares are dedicated to the coca crop in Colombia, increase 43 % compared to the previous year.
The Economist, in its article, insist that this extension of land devoted to the cultivation of coca is the biggest recorded to date.
In the past, the price of a kilo of coca leaf rose to $70,000, but now it has experienced a remarkable collapse, falling to just $38,000. This drop represents a crash of almost 50% in the value of the sheet.
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How many people consume cocaine in the world?
The estimated number of cocaine users worldwide was 22 million by 2021, according to the World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), published annually.
The outlet also emphasizes this, although The number of cocaine users in the United States has maintained some stability In the last two decades, nonetheless, North American countries stop crop monitoring.
Why are there so many coca crops in Colombia?
The Economist pointed out that the farmers managed perfect cultivation techniques for the coca plant, which significantly increased its effectiveness. At the same time, laboratories dedicated to the production of cocaine hydrochloride, the refined form of the drug, experienced growth in size. These advances will generate a general expansion in the productivity of the entire production process.
According to the HEthey observed an increase in the potential production of cocaine hydrochloride in Colombia, from an average of 6.5 kg per hectare in 2016 to 7.9 kg per hectare in 2020. This represents a challenge to the government to combat trafficking and consumption of illegal substances.
The Economist emphasizes that Colombia is not the only country that supplies the world market with cocaine. According to the UNODC report, Peru experienced an increase of 62% in its productiongoing from 49,800 hectares in 2017 to 80,700 hectares in 2021. Similarly, Bolivia experienced a 24% increase in its production, going from 24,500 hectares to 30,500 hectares in the same period.
(See also: Glyphosate in Colombia would turn off sprinklers; approved the prohibition against the coca crop)
Other Latin American countries also contribute to the increase in the production of this illegal drug, among them Venezuela, Honduras and Guatemala, where the clandestine market has also experienced alarming growth.
This trend of increasing cocaine production in several Latin American countries poses a major challenge to the fight against drug trafficking. It is important to note that the United States stopped the surveillance drug crops in Colombia and at least for this year it will not publish the report corresponding to the hectares planted in 2022.
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