Colombia, Oct 19, (V7N) - Colombia, the world's leading cocaine exporter, set new records for cocaine production and coca leaf cultivation in 2023, according to a United Nations report released on Friday. Coca leaf cultivation increased by 10 percent compared to 2022, while cocaine production surged by 53 percent, rising from 1,738 tonnes to 2,600 tonnes, the highest figures recorded since the UN began monitoring in 2001. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report highlights that coca cultivation now spans 253,000 hectares (625,100 acres) across Colombia.

Despite millions of dollars invested in US-led anti-drug campaigns since 2014, the upward trend continues, with most of the cocaine produced destined for the US and Europe. The largest increases in coca cultivation were observed in the Cauca and Nariño departments, strongholds of dissident groups from the FARC guerrilla army, which officially disbanded in 2017.

The report also notes that 20 percent of the coca cultivation takes place on land belonging to communities of African descent, 10 percent on Indigenous reserves, and 18 percent in protected forest areas, exacerbating concerns about environmental and social impacts.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro, the country's first-ever leftist leader, has been critical of US anti-drug strategies, blaming them for a "genocide" of Latin Americans due to their focus on repression rather than prevention and public health.

Meanwhile, the Colombian city of Cali is set to host the COP16 global biodiversity summit, starting Monday, underscoring the country's complex intersection of drug production and environmental challenges.

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