Press Release

The U.S. government has completed its 2005 estimate of coca cultivation in Peru. Overall, the area estimated to be under coca cultivation increased from 27,500 hectares to 38,000 hectares. More than one-third of the increase was because this year's estimate included non-traditional growing areas that were not surveyed in 2004.

Other reasons included prices that have climbed to record highs and armed attacks against coca eradication teams, which slowed down eradication efforts. Tougher security procedures mitigated this threat and allowed the eradicators to return to previous levels of efficiency by the end of the year, exceeding their goal of 8,000 hectares eradicated by almost 1,000 hectares, but this was not enough to offset the overall increase in cultivation.

Peru continues as the world's second leading coca leaf cultivator, with about one-third as much cultivation as Colombia, the leading producer. Most of Peru's cocaine is smuggled to South America and Europe.