Paraguayan army destroys rural cannabis plantations but poverty drives increased production скачать в хорошем качестве

Paraguayan army destroys rural cannabis plantations but poverty drives increased production

(20 Nov 2014) Known for its agricultural status as the world's third largest exporter of soybeans, rural Paraguay has increasingly been covered by cannabis plantations. In some of the most isolated, yet fertile northern provinces of the South American country, huge tracts of land are dedicated to growing cannabis. In Ygatimi, a jungle region 600 kilometres (372 miles) north of the capital Asuncion and not far from the border with Brazil, forests have been felled and converted to cannabis cultivation. While authorities are reticent to admit the full extent of the problem, a recent report by the United Nations (UN) says that over 8-thousand hectares (19,768 acres) of illegal crops are now cultivated in the small landlocked country. This is to meet regional consumer demand in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. Afghanistan, considered the largest global producer in 2010, has 10,000 hectares (24,710) planted. The military has been mobilised to identify clandestine plantations, but fighting this illegal cultivation has proven to be tricky. The Anti-Drug Secretariat has only 231 agents and independent experts say they are not stemming the tide. Francisco Ayala, Communications Director for the National Anti-Drugs Secretariat of Paraguay, said that this year the eradication of cannabis plantations has reached the "historic figure" of 1900 hectares (4695 acres) of land. However, production looks set to increase. Experts say that local drug lords will pay 10 US dollars per day for growing and up to 60 US dollars a day to those who dry and press the leaves. These are good sums in rural areas where farmers generally earn about eight US dollars per day working the land. Uruguay already has legislation in place to regulate the cultivation and sale of the plant and other nations in the region are considering similar moves. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...