Peru, a country that continues to be at the top of the world rankings in cocaine production, recorded in 2024 a decrease of more than 3% of the surface where coca is cultivated – the leaves of this plant are the raw material in the process of making white dust – according to the annual exhibition of the Peruvian National Commission.

The total area of ​​crops was found to be 897,550 acres, compared to 927,840 acres in 2023 (–30,000).

At the same time, 264,750 acres of illegal coca crops were eliminated, an extent increased by 17% compared to 2023. It is the highest level of destruction of illegal crops in eight years, according to the report.

However, despite the range of disasters, the net decline remained limited due to the re -establishment of crops in other areas, often more isolated.

“This is the second consecutive year of fall after eight years of uninterrupted rise”stressed Friday during a press conference the Commission President Carlos Figueroa.

“It’s good news (…) as the market is going through a very strong demand phase”For his part, Leonardo Korea, a regional coordinator of the United Nations Office for Drugs Control and Crime Prevention (UNODC), stressed.

According to the United Nations, Peru, along with Colombia and Bolivia, are the countries with the largest cocaine production in the world. In the country they are produced annually some 400 kg of this substance, according to the Peruvian authorities.

In 2024, some 100 tonnes of drugs were seized and cremated in the Andean state, according to police, which dismissed 119 criminal organizations linked to substances.

Coca cultivation is legal in Peru only in those cases intended for traditional uses or medical purposes, but it is estimated that at least 90% of production is available for drug production.