PUCALLA (Ucayali, Peru), Aug 4 (NNN-ANDINA) — Prime Minister Alberto Otarola affirmed that the Government’s goal for coca crop eradication in 2023 will be 25,000 hectares, which will go hand-in-hand with State-run investment in alternative, comprehensive, and sustainable development.
The Cabinet chief had arrived in the eastern zone joined by Interior Minister Vicente Romero to supervise actions aimed at eradicating said crops in that area of the country.
“This is the launch of what Madam President (Dina Boluarte) had announced at Congress: the frontal fight against narco-trafficking, illicit drug trafficking,” Otarola said in remarks to Canal N delivered at the rainforest city of Pucallpa, Ucayali region.
The prime minister pointed out that, in addition to citizen insecurity, narco-trafficking is one of the main problems faced by Peru, as this scourge generates illegal economies and corruption. Thus, it is necessary to face this problem.
“This year’s eradication goal will be 25,000 hectares,” Otarola noted.
“We also want to promote and increase State investments in alternative, comprehensive, and sustainable development, which is nothing more than eradication, interdiction tasks, but essentially support for coca farmers to replace their crops with alternative crops, such as cacao and coffee,” Otarola specified.
The prime minister indicated that, as of today, the illegal coca area is around 100,000 hectares in Peru, compared to the 40,000 that existed in 2016.
Otarola said that Minister Romero and the officials in charge of combating this illegal activity have received instructions from President Boluarte to enforce the reduction of the alarming cocaine amounts illegally exported (by drug traffickers) and, above all, to work actively with the affected populations in order to release them from the slavery which means being subjected to narco-trafficking.
“We are seeing in the field how eradication tasks are relaunched, but above all the contact with populations to bring them to licit crops, and that the (Peruvian) State presence must be efficient in these affected populations,” he stated.
Subsequently, in Cerro de Pasco, Prime Minister Otarola announced that next week Defense Minister Jorge Chavez will travel to the United States to address various logistic issues and holdmeetings with authorities from that country in order to use aerial interdiction tools. — NNN-ANDINA
