Only 4% of coca leaf crops will be eradicated in the Vraem

Between comings and goings with the executive president of Devida, the Minister of the Interior, Alfonso Chávarry, confirmed that, contrary to what was repeatedly outlined by the anti-drug czar, this 2022 yes there will be eradication of illegal coca leaf crops in the Vraemthe area where the largest amount of this illicit is processed.

Chávarry said, in an interview with Peru21, that the goal is to eradicate 1,200 hectares of illegal crops there. That is, 300 hectares more than all the land that currently corresponds to the Jorge Chávez Airport in Lima.

However, specialists consulted by this newspaper emphasize that this amount is insufficient and, furthermore, that it will occur in an area of ​​low concentration, so it would not have much impact.

According to what Chávarry mentioned, the Government plans to eradicate in the district of Mazamari, as well as in the areas of Alto Anapati and San Martín de Pangoa, both in the district of Pangoa, province of Satipo (Junín).

SIGHT: The US asks Peru to extend coca leaf eradication throughout its territory

But, according to a report by Devida, in 2020 alone there were around 28,000 hectares of coca leaf throughout the Vraem. In other words, taking that figure, only 4% is expected to be eradicated.

The declarations of the Ministry of the Interior take place in a context in which the head of Devida, Ricardo Soberón, walks through the Vraem saying in meetings with coca growers that there will not be eradication, in a twist in the strategy of the fight against drugs and the insistence on promoting the failed model of self-eradication.

“Who do we believe? To the anti-drug czar, who is Mr. Soberón, or to the Minister of the Interior? There is a double discourse from the Government”, questioned the former minister and former head of Devida, Rubén Vargas.

He warned that, precisely, this double message from the Executive has been generating tension in, for example, the Alto Huallaga, where a favoring of the Vraem (the most critical area) by Devida has been denounced, even calling a coca grower strike for today; which could have unfortunate consequences. “Inaction, omission, favors illegal coca and drug trafficking in the Vraem. And Mr. Soberón has decided not to do anything in the Vraem”, remarked Vargas.

In this context, for the specialist, in the face of the ironclad decision not to enter the Vraem from Devida, which is the governing body in the fight against drugs, the eradication figure of 1,200 hectares promoted by the Ministry of the Interior “is a good start”; although he acknowledged that the figure is minimal.

“In the Vraem, 70% of the cocaine at the national level is processed. Obviously, the actions to prevent the further expansion of these coca leaf crops would have to be much clearer, more defined. But we are in a government with a clear lack of definition, (…) Soberón favors the illegal coca growers of the Vraem. In that context, 1,200 is a good start,” Vargas said.

“But of course the ideal, in a context of clear commitment to confront drug trafficking, that figure is openly small,” he added.

For his part, the former head of Dirandro and former minister Carlos Morán pointed out that although these 1,200 hectares are not “enough”, he insists that there is at least one political intention and a message to the international community. Peru is considered the world’s second largest producer of cocaine. He said he hopes that the annual goal of 18,000 hectares of eradication will be met (before it was 25,000).

“That next year, with more resources, eradication in other areas (of the Vraem) can be contemplated, yes, but as long as there is a problem with a different approach that the Ministry of the Interior and the head of Devida have, it will be very complicated for someone try to eradicate in other areas of that valley. There has to be an agreement from the Government”, he asserted.

In 2019, eradication was entered for the first time in the Vraem and there was the intention to continue and even be able to increase the eradication areas. But everything was practically in good intentions because it did not continue in later years.

Meanwhile, the expert on drug trafficking issues, Pedro Yaranga, stressed that the most critical area with the highest concentration of coca leaf is not north of the Vraem, where it will be eradicated again, and described the next incursion as “ a cheat boys”.

“They are starting with an area where it is not necessary to eradicate because there is little coca cultivation there. If it is going to start with Satipo, there should be eradication in Vizcatán del Ene, the fourth district with the largest amount of coca and currently controlled by the Quispe Palomino. That would be new,” Yaranga pointed out. He also mentioned other areas such as Llochegua and Sivia (Ayacucho), as well as Pichari (Cusco).

Keep in mind

• Yesterday, the Ministry of the Interior confirmed the goal of 1,200 hectares of illegal crop eradication in the Vraem and it was specified that the actions will begin on July 1, 2022. They asked if they had contemplated expanding that figure, but there was no response.
• “If they really want to eradicate, they should enter the areas with the highest coca production. The same coca growers are going to say that mistreatment is being carried out because it is eradicated where there is none”, remarked the specialist in drug trafficking issues, Pedro Yaranga.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO