Colombia launches pilot project for aerial spraying of coca crops
Colombia’s National Narcotics Council has instructed the National Police to launch a pilot project for aerial spraying of illegal coca crops. As Colombia Reports reports, the program has been defined as a controlled, limited, temporary experimental phase whose results will be evaluated.
Pilot project in Putumayo
The National Police’s counternarcotics unit said that the 10-square-kilometer pilot project area is located in the department of Putumayo. A piloted aircraft and glufosinate ammonium 200 SL are planned for use in the spraying.
According to the police, the pilot project is not expected to affect Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities; permission will be required for operations on their territories. Conservation and protected areas, areas associated with bodies of water and rivers, as well as other environmentally sensitive zones that must be excluded under current rules and technical studies, are also to be excluded.
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Conditions for resuming spraying
The aim of the experiment is to assess the effectiveness of aerial spraying and the possibility of using it under established technical and operational conditions. The police stressed that this phase does not mean the resumption, introduction, or final authorization of a large-scale or nationwide spraying program, which the Constitutional Court banned in 2015.
To resume aerial spraying, the program must be approved by health and environmental authorities. The use of aircraft will also require permission from the court and local communities. President Abelardo de la Espriella promised during his election campaign and after taking office last month to resume spraying over an area of more than 330,000 hectares.
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