Coca Cultivation in Colombia Reaches New High

Growth in plant behind most U.S. cocaine imports is likely to renew Trump administration pressure on Latin American ally

WASHINGTON—Colombian coca cultivation rose again in 2017, reaching a new high, according to an official U.S. assessment released Monday that is likely to fuel fresh consternation against a key Latin American ally.

Coca cultivation increased 11% to 209,000 hectares (516,450 acres) from 188,000 hectares (464,558 acres) in 2016, growing for a fourth consecutive year, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy said in its latest annual calculations of Colombian cultivation and production.

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