BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — A United Nations report shows a slight drop in Colombian coca production, and President Ivan Duque says that’s a sign the country is “moving in the right direction.”
The report delivered to Duque’s government Friday showed that coca production dropped about 1.2 percent in 2018.
That finding is similar to a recent White House report, which concluded that growing of the plant used to make cocaine has dropped slightly.
Colombia has struggled to contain coca plantings that reached record levels in 2017.
While the U.N. report has not yet been released, a representative speaking alongside Duque Friday said there’s been modest progress.
Regions of Colombia where voluntary and forced eradication took place registered an 18 percent decline in coca production, but areas still dominated by violent cartels saw an increase.