Carlos is experiencing difficulties selling the lumps of coca paste he has accumulated in his house since the drug traffickers disappeared. The drug economy has suffered an unexpected collapse, creating a crisis among coca farmers in Colombia.
Carlos, a 36-year-old coca farmer, speaks in a low voice and uses a false name for fear of reprisals from armed groups. He explains that cultivating two hectares of coca cost him around $660, but he estimates that he will only be able to recoup $154 due to low prices and a shortage of buyers. This was the first of four harvests this year.
Amidst the drug crops in Llorente, a municipality in Nariño, crews of “raspachines” are hard at work. Carlos receives sacks of coca leaves and processes them into crushed coca paste. However, for more than a month now, he has not found buyers for the eight kilograms of coca paste he has stored.
The collapse of the “coca bonanza” in Colombia, the world’s leading cocaine producer, is attributed to various reasons, such as the boom in synthetic opioids, overproduction of coca, and blows to the cartels. The situation also affects other coca-growing regions, such as Colombia’s Pacific coast.
The lack of demand for coca paste could be related to changes in the tastes of US consumers, who now prefer synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. This crisis is generating hunger in coca-growing areas, and farmers are looking for alternatives, such as illegal logging, to survive.
In short, the collapse of the drug economy has provoked a crisis among coca farmers in Colombia. Low prices and a shortage of buyers for coca paste have generated significant losses, affecting thousands of families who depend on this crop. The reasons behind this situation include the rise of synthetic opioids and the overproduction of cocaine. The lack of clear answers is generating hunger and economic hardship in the coca-growing areas of the country.