from: Südwest 3, Th, 2000-1-18
(original German)
Coca is a holy plant of the natives. Bolivia has
introduced a five years program for a change in the
agriculture with the goal to exterminate the coca plant.
Coca leaves are part of the native's culture. Coca leaves
are NOT cocain yet.
Coca production against poverty and slavery
The coca farmers are called "cocaleros". Without
alternative production and without a market there is no
change of production possible. Insofar there is an
effective change necessary.
The coca plant is the salvation when ananas and rice
plantations get ill or fail.
The villages in Bolivia do not have electricity or
dringking water. In the South climate is dry and hot. The
closure of the mines in Potosi brought even more
unimployment. The people move into the North into the
tropical climate, e.g. to the village of Ciapare, and all
are cultivating coca to survive. The plant is growing
without big effort. This is technical and financial
possible to the contrary of ananas and other plants which
need much effort.
But the cocaleros have to be asked if they wanat to work
or want to live illegal. At the same time ananas and other
products would be second class harvest only which could
not be exported and would hardly bring any profit and
would not be profitable. So they are going on cultivating
Coca.
For palm hearts and ananas there is no market in Bolivia.
The farmers shall cultivate palm hearts, maracua and
ananas, but the [racist, white, German rooted and Spanish
rooted, arrogant] government in Bolivia is not thinking
about the salary and the marketing. The farmers are
surviving only by cultivating coca plants and by selling
coca leaves. The alternative products are driving them to
bunkruptcy and slavery.
Waste of money by
fighting coca cultivations
The state of Bolivia is wasting money by fighting the
coca cultivation, 950 mio. $, 750 mio. $ of it for the
"alternative cultivation". Every year 7000 km2
of coca cultivation are destroyed, otherwhies a veto is
menacing from the "USA" for the development programs.
Results after 7 years fighting the coca cultivations:
no result
-- there arrived no decline of coca production despite
of drug hunters
-- 500 mio. $ are wasted
-- the "plan for extermination" did not function
-- the newspaper Economist from N.Y. Times names the
operation as a total failure.
A dialog between state
and coca farmers does not exist
-- there is no dialogue
-- the police is going on with extermination of coca
fields and is striving for stopping the street trading
because the official price for a bag of coca leaves on
Central market is 10 $, but in the street the farmers get
30-40 $ by the dealers.
Coca for medical purpose and for drug traffic
15'000 ha coca are cultivated for medical purpose.
95 percent of the coca production are designated for drug
traffic.
The trade union claims for grants for alternative
products, because in Europe agriculture gets grants of
50-80 percents, too. The trade union in Columbia aims
clearly:
"The farmers must get money, not the government."
As long as poverty and demand are dominating coca
cultivation will exist.
As a consequence the government presents a new coca farmer
program with grants for promotion of the alternatives.
Conclusions from
Michael Palomino
-- the racist, white government in Bolivia is not
interested in the problem of poverty
-- the government in Bolivia gives the guilt to the coca
farmers instead to solve the problem itself
-- when Bolivia produces less coca other farmers in other
countries will fill the gap
-- the anti coca program of the "USA" is for nothing as
long as the money on the world is distributed in a racist
manner and as long as the racist government without an
integral policy is in power
-- the waste of money is preassigned and the bank's
islands as Monaco and Switzerland are going on with their
profits of it.
-------------
P.S. 2005 from Michael Palomino
Perhaps the government is not so racist anymore and the
program has a good effect, but probably other farmers are
producing the coca now which is not anymore produced in
Bolivia: Afghanistan...
