Can a New President’s Hard-Line Approach Stop the Spread of Coca in Colombia?
Colombia’s latest UN coca figures show modest national growth but sharper territorial concentration, giving the next government clear eradication targets while underscoring how politically and operationally difficult such a campaign will be.
The United Nations has at last published its data on coca cultivation in Colombia in 2024: drug-crop plantations expanded, but remained concentrated in particular territories, giving the incoming president clear openings as he vows to resume eradication on an industrial scale.
The United Nations has finally published its data on coca cultivation in Colombia in 2024, as drug crop plantations expanded, yet concentrated in certain territories, offering the incoming president opportunities as he vows to restart eradication on an industrial scale.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Colombian government recorded 261,000 hectares of coca in 2024, a 3.5 percent increase over 2023. The report appeared 18 months later than expected because of disputes over methodology with Colombia’s current president, Gustavo Petro. Petro had challenged findings suggesting that cocaine production may have risen by as much as 53 percent between 2023 and 2024. As a result, for the first time in more than two decades of reporting, the report omitted estimates of possible cocaine production and published only data on coca cultivation.
The United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) and the Colombian government registered 261,000 hectares of coca in 2024, representing a 3.5% increase compared to 2023. The report was published 18 months later than expected due to arguments over methodology with current Colombian President Gustavo Petro. The president had challenged findings that suggested cocaine production had increased as much as 53% between 2023 and 2024. As a result, the report left out possible cocaine production for the first time in more than two decades of reporting and only published data on coca cultivation.
SEE ALSO: US Pressures Colombia With Threat of Anti-Drug Aid Cuts
SEE ALSO: US Pressures Colombia With Threat of Anti-Drug Aid Cuts
“Cultivation with a much more industrialized profile persists, as does the dynamic of ‘enclaves,’” Amado de Andrés, the UNODC representative in Colombia, told the national newspaper El Tiempo. “That growth of just 3.5 percent year on year does not mean the whole phenomenon has remained stable. What happened was that the increases recorded in enclave areas offset the reductions observed outside those enclaves,” he noted.
“Cultivation with a much more industrialized profile persists, as does the dynamic of ‘enclaves,'” Amado de Andrés, the UNODC’s representative in Colombia, told national newspaper El Tiempo. “That growth of just 3.5% year-over-year does not mean the entire phenomenon has remained stable. What happened was that the increases recorded in enclave zones offset the reductions observed outside those enclaves,” he noted.
The report indicated that coca crops are increasingly concentrated in specific areas of the country, or enclaves. The dynamic is not new: it has been developing gradually since 2012. Forty-seven percent of coca crops are now concentrated in just 10 municipalities across four of Colombia’s 32 departments: Nariño, Cauca, Norte de Santander, and Putumayo.
The report indicated that coca crops are increasingly concentrated in specific areas of the country, or enclaves. This dynamic is not new. It has been gradually evolving since 2012. Forty seven percent of coca crops are now concentrated in just 10 municipalities across four of Colombia’s 32 departments: Nariño, Cauca, Norte de Santander, and Putumayo.
Nariño, on the border with Ecuador, remains the country’s principal coca enclave, with 74,547 hectares, an increase of more than 9,550 hectares compared with 2023. The municipality of Tumaco alone accounts for 31,300 hectares of coca. Meanwhile, the department of Norte de Santander, on the border with Venezuela, rose to second place with 48,739 hectares, concentrated mainly in the municipality of Tibú. Putumayo registered 44,473 hectares, while Cauca had 36,876.
Nariño, located on the border with Ecuador, remains the country’s primary coca enclave with 74,547 hectares, an increase of more than 9,550 hectares compared to 2023. The municipality of Tumaco alone accounts for 31,300 hectares of coca. Meanwhile, Norte de Santander department on the border with Venezuela rose to second place with 48,739 hectares, concentrated mainly in the municipality of Tibú. Putumayo registered 44,473 hectares, while Cauca had 36,876.
What Does This Mean for Colombia’s Next Government?
What Does This Mean for Colombia’s Next Government?
The fact that most coca cultivation is concentrated in just 10 municipalities gives President-elect Abelardo De la Espriella, who takes office in August, clear targets for the aerial eradication campaign that was one of his main campaign pledges. He has a chance to remove almost half the source base for Colombia’s cocaine production in short order. But though that may sound simple, it is not.
The fact that the majority of coca cultivation is concentrated in just 10 municipalities provides president-elect Abelardo De la Espriella, who takes office in August, with clear targets for his aerial eradication campaign, which was one of his main campaign pledges. He has the chance to remove almost half of the sourcing for Colombia’s cocaine production in short order. But while this sounds simple, it is not.