Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Honey Instead of Coca

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

BOGOTA, Apr 22 2006 (IPS) - A Colombian government project to produce honey instead of planting coca bush in the northern Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta yielded five tons of the sweet stuff in 2005 and is projected to produce 30 tons for export to Europe in 2006. Since 2005 the initiative has benefited 840 families in the Presidential Program Against Illicit Crops, which was founded in 2003 and cleared more than 1.25 million hectares of illegal plants, especially coca, the raw material for producing cocaine.

The Italian government donated 500,000 dollars to the project, headed by Victoria Restrepo, who told Tierramérica that honey production is intended to provide an alternative source of income for the families, in addition to cacao and special coffees being promoted in the region.

The project is being carried out by the Network of Ecological Producers in the Sierra area.