The Bolivian government said on Sunday it plans to destroy more than 8,200 hectares of illegal coca plantations in 2011.
Last year, Bolivian anti-drug special forces destroyed a record number of 8,200 hectares of illegal coca plantations and also confiscated record numbers of 29 tons of cocaine and 1,073 tons of marihuana, Vice Minister for Social Defense and Controlled Substances Felipe Caceres told local press in an interview.
Caceres also said the government will "reassess the coca leaf," that but it does not imply free cultivation or "zero coca."
According to Bolivia's "Law 1008" which regulates coca and controlled substances, up to 12,000 hectares of coca plantations are allowed in the country. But other coca plantations are determined to be illegal and will be destroyed at a minimum pace of 5,000 hectares each year.
In some of Bolivia's tribal regions, coca leaves are chewed and used in medicinal teas, as well as in traditional rituals.