Colombia’s National Narcotics Council is drafting a resolution that would allow a pilot program to resume aerial spraying of illicit crops such as coca, using manned aircraft and a different chemical: glufosinate ammonium 200 SL. The move marks a potential shift from glyphosate, the herbicide long used—and later banned—in the country’s anti-drug efforts due to health and environmental concerns.
According to the draft, the test would be strictly experimental and temporary, not a nationwide relaunch of fumigation. Officials say the goal is to gather scientific data on the herbicide’s effectiveness, its tendency to drift, and its potential risks to human health and the environment. The trial would run for a maximum of seven days and treat no more than 1,000 hectares (about 2,470 acres), with monitoring continuing afterward under guidelines set by Colombia’s environmental licensing agency (ANLA) and the National Institute of Health.
The exact location will remain confidential for security reasons, officials say, to prevent sabotage or retaliation by drug-trafficking groups. It will reportedly take place in one department, near a military or police installation, and must exclude protected areas, sensitive ecosystems, and Indigenous or Afro-Colombian territories without prior consultation. Colombia’s anti-narcotics police unit, Diran, would lead the operation, with technical support from the ministries of agriculture and health.
You can read the full original report at El Tiempo for more details on the proposal.
Source: Gobierno prepara plan piloto para erradicar cultivos ilícitos con aspersión aérea: se usará glufosinato de amonio (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: WestonEyes, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).