Colombia to use herbicide drones against record coca harvest

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia’s government said Tuesday it has authorized the use of herbicide-spraying drones to tackle a record surge in cocaine production.

The decision was announced a day after a White House report said that land devoted to coca production in Colombia had surged to a record 209,000 hectares (516,450 acres) last year.

Outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos three years ago banned the aerial spraying of coca crops in response to a constitutional court ruling pointing out health and environmental risks.

But he said Tuesday that drones fly at lower altitudes than spray planes and are akin to current practices by which ground-based eradication crews spray glyphosate herbicide from tanks mounted on their backs.

He added that Colombia aims to remove 110,000 hectares of coca this use through forced eradication and crop substitution programs.