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19 Nov 2003 00:52:26 GMT

Peru says beats coca eradication target

LIMA, Peru, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Peru, the world's No. 2 coca and cocaine producer, said on Tuesday it had beaten its 2003 target for eradication of illegal coca, defying an earlier government prediction the effort would fall short.

State anti-narcotics agency DEVIDA said it destroyed 21,139 acres (8,555 hectares) of illegal coca, the raw material for the production of cocaine, between January and mid-November this year, beating its full-year target of about 20,000 acres (8,000 hectares).

The government said previously it would miss its coca destruction target, with Interior Minister Fernando Rospigliosi saying in October that resistance by coca farmers to crop destruction would likely limit state eradication programs.

The agency attributed its success to a growing number of communities in coca-producing regions joining a voluntary crop eradication program run by DEVIDA.

But a Peruvian anti-drug specialist said the eradication figures were hugely inflated, blaming U.S. pressure on Peru to make headway in the fight against drug trafficking.

"The results are impossible. DEVIDA says it has destroyed coca in areas it hasn't even been active in," said Roger Rumrill. "It's afraid of letting the U.S. down on drugs and is inflating the figures."

The United States is leading a series of large-scale coca eradication programs in Peru, Bolivia and Colombia.

The three Andean nations account for the vast majority of world cocaine output, much of which ends up on the streets of major North American cities via Central America and Mexico.

In a separate statement released on Monday, the United States said the area cultivated with coca in Peru fell to 77,875 acres (31,150 hectares) from 91,500 acres (36,600 hectares) between January and June this year.

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