HomeNewsBriefReport Leak Undermines Bolivia's Legal Coca Policies
BRIEF

Report Leak Undermines Bolivia's Legal Coca Policies

BOLIVIA / 28 OCT 2013 BY NATALIE SOUTHWICK EN

An opposition politician says he has seen a long-delayed report on Bolivia's coca cultivation and that it concludes the country needs only 6,000 hectares to meet legal demand, claims the government has denied but which could place its pro-coca policies in a precarious position.

Juan del Granado, a member of the Movimiento sin Miedo (Without Fear Movement) party, claimed he had gained access to the European Union-funded report on Bolivia's legal coca market, reported La Razon. According to Granado, the investigation found Bolivia could satisfy legal demand for coca using just 6,000 hectares of productive land.

The report is the result of a study commissioned in 2007 that aimed to determine the exact quantity of land Bolivia needs to meet domestic and commercial demand for coca. According to EU officials, the study was completed in 2010, however Bolivian authorities have repeatedly delayed its release, claiming they were still working on several complementary studies, reported La Razon.

The government responded to the claim by announcing the complementary studies have now been completed and the final report will be presented before the end of the year. Bolivia's Vice Minister for Coca and Development, Gumercindo Pucho, dismissed the 6,000 hectares claim as "absurd."

InSight Crime Analysis

Granado's allegations are almost certainly a political maneuver to undermine Morales' policy of licensed coca crops as the country prepares for the 2014 presidential elections. 

However, the lengthy delay of the report's release is also likely driven by political motives. Morales was once a coca grower and still heads one of the country's major coca growing unions, and coca growers remain an important part of his political base. Recent violence between Bolivian authorities and people protesting the eradication of unlicensed coca crops only highlights how unpopular it would be to propose the country's 12,000 hectare legal crop quota should be halved. 

See also: Coverage of Drug Policy 

Bolivia's combative stance on coca has also caused international tensions, which have led to the expulsion of US officialstemporary withdrawal from a UN drug treaty and the United States closing its local anti-drug office.

With some politicians proposing to increase the legal quota to 20,000 hectares while Bolivia receives millions in international anti-drug aid annually, the issue of how much coca Bolivia needs to satisfy commercial demand is more sensitive than ever, both internationally and at home. If this leak forces the government into finally releasing the report and the findings are as reported, Morales will have to perform a very delicate juggling act to placate both the international community and his electoral base.

*This article was updated on October 28 to include the government response

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

BOLIVIA / 25 JUL 2022

Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, has gradually become one of South America's main criminal threats, with Chile its latest target.

COCA / 22 AUG 2022

Narco ambulances in Colombia aren't new, but a recent rash of discoveries suggests that they are back in vogue with…

COCA / 29 SEP 2021

The presence of corrupt actors who have a vested interest in allowing environmental crime to happen coupled with an overall…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report continues to be a reference in the region

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention 

5 MAY 2023

InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in OAS, CARICOM Reports

28 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s work was cited nine times in a new report by the Organization of American States (OAS) titled “The Impact of Organized Crime on Women,…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Staff Cited as Experts by International Media

21 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime deputy editor, Juan Diego Posada, was interviewed by the Associated Press about connections between the ex-FARC mafia and Brazilian criminal groups, and…