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Colombian coca substitution plan leaves farmers struggling to switch crops
A government crop substitution program promised payments to households, but many farmers say aid delays and poor infrastructure make legal selling difficult, pushing some back to coca.
Colombian farmers in coca-growing regions say a government substitution program meant to help them move into legal crops has fallen short, amid missing assistance and barriers to selling produce. In Meta province, farmer Perea uprooted coca bushes and replaced them with crops such as cassava and plantain, but he said the promised support did not arrive, leaving him little option but to consider returning to cultivation.
The BBC Business reports that coca has advantages that make it hard for alternative crops to compete, including quick harvest cycles, easier transport, and more predictable prices. The outlet adds that research cited in the story links coca cultivation to local economic activity in some areas, including potential increases in municipal GDP.
According to the article, substitution programs were introduced to help households abandon coca by offering financial support, with one nationwide effort launched in 2017 that enrolled around 100,000 families. Each household was supposed to receive 36 million Colombian pesos, paid over two years.
The story also highlights the broader context of coca production, including that an estimated 70% of the global illegal drug supply comes from Colombia, alongside the violence and insecurity associated with the industry. Despite government efforts to curb production through manual eradication, aerial fumigation, and arrests, coca planting has reportedly reached record levels of more than 250,000 hectares, while some participants say they have been let down by the program.