Cultivation of coca bush in Colombia increased by 10 per cent in 2023 to 253,000 hectares, while potential cocaine production reached 2,664 metric tons, according to a new survey released by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Friday.

This represents a potential 53 per cent increase in cocaine production over 2022 and marks the 10th consecutive year (since 2023) that estimates of potential cocaine production have risen in the country. 

In contrast to the increases in 2021 and 2022, which were heavily concentrated in the Putomayo department, the growth in 2023 was more broadly distributed, with cultivation rising in 16 of the 19 coca-producing departments.

The departments of Cauca and Nariño account for 50 per cent of the expansion in cultivated areas in comparison with 2022.

Although no new hotspots of coca cultivation were recorded as of December 2023, coca enclaves remain a major challenge: 39 per cent of the potential coca leaf production comes from productive enclaves that occupy only 14 per cent of the territory where coca is planted.

Most coca remains far from market centres in territories with high vulnerabilities and limited accessibility. However, the survey found that the number of hectares planted with coca within 12 km from a populated centre grew from around 189,000 ha in 2022 to approximately 209,000 ha in 2023, a notable increase from 37,000 hectares in 2013. 

The closer proximity could cause legal economies to become increasingly dependent on resources generated by illegal activities. At the same time, the ability of criminal groups to access more goods and services can generate powerful incentives to sustain or expand illegal activities in these areas.

Armed groups in Colombia remain heavily involved in the cocaine market, intensifying violent conflicts in areas affected by drug trafficking, illegal mining and human trafficking. Increases in cultivation are also coinciding with an increase in violence against social leaders, a deterioration of security conditions and additional pressure against indigenous and Afro-Colombian groups.