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BOGOTA - Colombia will reduce its spraying of crops used to make cocaine in favour of manually pulling coca plants up from the roots, in a surprise shift in anti-drug strategy.
Environmentalists opposed to the US-backed practice of spraying herbicides welcomed the Government's announcement. They say the chemicals ruin water quality and kill legal crops as well as plants vital to the wide biodiversity of this Andean country.
Farmers not involved in growing illicit coca crops have complained about the spraying and neighbouring Ecuador says fumigation in Colombia creates health and environmental problems on its side of the border.
"When we have committed errors in the fumigation, instead of winning support we provoked complaints," Columbian President Alvaro Uribe said.
- REUTERS
