By Sebastián Ochoa, Page 12 , January 3, 2009
Evo Morales wants to raise twenty thousand acres in the area of legal crops to industrialize the coca leaf. The design of the Coca Colla, an energy drink, would this year. We also export to other countries.
The government of Evo Morales raised legalize twenty thousand acres of coca crops, which would add to the 12 000 currently allowed by law. Perhaps the Legislature in 2010 will increase this figure Plurinational beyond the 20 000 hectares, for the new limit is set according to a report on the consumption of coca leaf, being developed by the National Statistics Institute (INE). Thus, Morales hopes to have more control over the area planted to the ground. From the Palacio Quemado speculate that 16 000 hectares would be for the "traditional use" of the sheet. With over four thousand hectares, which could be diverted to the production of cocaine, the government program to industrialize the coca leaf. The project of the "Coca Colla, an energy drink, you would live this year. Also the export of coca to other countries.
The government began an advertising campaign for Coca Colla when there is not one drop of the drink made from the "sacred leaf" of various indigenous Andean peoples. But the announcement was irrelevant whether it was to justify the government's proposal to increase the area of legal crops. "It is a private initiative to produce an energizing of coca. We are seeing momentum, because the State is interested in the industrialization of coca, "he said at a press conference the Deputy Minister of Rural Development, Víctor Hugo Vázquez.
The government still considers whether the company would produce the beverage can form a joint venture with the state. It is not known whether to keep the name proposed by the coca growers of Chapare, in the tropics of Cochabamba, where this year will be legalized seven thousand hectares of the leaf.
Morales emerged from this region as a peasant leader. In fact, the president also heads the Six Federations of the Tropic of Cochabamba, but is licensed.
Currently, 12 000 hectares are legal in the Yungas, a region of the department of La Paz where the cultivation of the leaf is allowed because it was always intended for use "traditional" that depends on his mask, enhanced with a spoonful of baking sodium.
In the Chapare, the government of Carlos Mesa, who took over when Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada fled to the United States in 2003 - allowed each family had its Cochabamba Tropics "cato" of coca, a plot 40 by 40 meters. Although this amount is tolerated, it was not legal. "The option to grow one cato per family coca existed before we came to government. Now it is in fact legalize it, because it is already de facto legalized, "said Vice Minister of Social Development, Felipe Caceres, head of the fight against drugs and also emerged from the Six Federations of Cochabamba.
The limit of 12 000 hectares was set according to a study of the 70, calculated on a population of five million Bolivians. It now has 10 million.
"I'm sure the studio will throw a traditional consumer demand in excess of 12,000 hectares, 16,000 hectares eg What are we going to do with the four thousand acres surplus? They can not go to drug trafficking, therefore we ask the government industrialization, whether in installments of coca, "said Caceres. He said families that exceed the cato or grown in areas where it is not permissible will be punished, even with the reversion of land in the State.
Cochabamba elected Senator by the Movement Toward Socialism (MAS) and executive secretary of the Six Federations, Julio Salazar, told Pagina/12 that "years ago had more coca planted. Now we just ask that each family be allowed to have a cato de coca. We are 45 700 members, would then be seven thousand hectares. With the government will discuss how to modify the 1008 Act (on drugs) to regulate the legalization. Furthermore, we see how the blade is industrialized. " The other thousand hectares to supplement the 20 000 are in Caranavi, La Paz.
According to Salazar, the surface may be increased because the growers to plant their crops prevent diversion to the production of cocaine. "Thanks to the conscience of our fellow growers have moral to discuss the fight against drug trafficking," he said.
With coca leaves in Bolivia occur infusions, syrups, pastes for cleaning teeth, liquor, candy, cakes and even works of art, like the portrait of Ernesto "Che" Guevara hanging from the office of president.
The government recognized that the coca leaf smuggled to Argentina, Chile and Paraguay, but could not specify numbers. "Enter these countries Bolivian coca. You have to admit. Therefore, at the level of foreign ministries should legalize coca income neighboring countries to consume it in a controlled and audited, "Caceres said. According to the government, smuggling coca chewing is intended to citizenship, but not the production of cocaine.
A study by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, made on the basis of satellite photos, said that until 2008 there were 30 500 hectares, more than 12 000 legal. However, the government argues that its management 20 000 hectares eradicated illegal.
Another UN study of 1949 and coordinated by the banker and president of the American Society of Pharmacists, Howard Fonda, had determined that "the use of coca is indeed harmful and may cause degeneration of the Indian race." This opinion was used for coca leaf outside the established list of narcotics in the UN Single Convention of 1961 and still valid, ratified by various governments in Bolivia, which implemented the policy of "zero coca" until early 2000.
The government of Barack Obama, like George W. Bush believes that Bolivia is not doing enough to eradicate drugs. So the left out of the ATPDEA, a U.S. law for countries considered engaged in the fight against narcotics several products could enter there without paying taxes.
"A black man can exclude excluding an Indian. The so-called Indians and blacks have been in the history of the world's most excluded, marginalized. If he wants to exclude, to continue excluding us, it does not matter. Surely we want to frighten, intimidate, frighten, "Morales said last week about Obama's decision. Since the government argued that Bolivia will not be lost out of the ATPDEA, since their products have been relocated to Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina.
