Bolivia celebrates Koka: Tradition meets modern industry!

Bolivia has big plans for the processing of coca! On January 11, the country proudly celebrated its Acullico day, which honored the tradition of chewing Koka leaves, a practice that has been part of indigenous cultures for centuries. President Arce explains that they intend to export legal products such as flour, tea and even toothpaste from Koka internationally as soon as the World Health Organization (WHO) cancel the harmful classification of the Koka leaves. This is an important step to clear out the image of the coca in the world from the illegal drug cocaine, such as vienna.at reported.

At the same time, the construction of a modern factory for industrial processing of coca lids in Central Bolivia, which is expected to open this year. This factory will have an annual capacity of 432 tons of coca and manufacture a variety of products such as medicines and nutritional supplements. Antonio Quiroz, the technical director of the state company Kokabol, announced that more than 1,150 indirect jobs are created. The government's plan to remove illegal coca plantings using a detailed timetable, which is to be implemented from the last week of January, is also remarkable. This initiative is a continuation of earlier efforts to combat drug trafficking, such as amerika21.de informed.

legal use and drug ban

in Bolivia, the coca cultivation is limited to 20,000 hectares for legal purposes, but the UN estimates that the area is over 30,000 hectares. This indicates that part of the production is used for the drug market, since Bolivia is the third largest cocaine producer in the world to Colombia and Peru. The Vice Minister of Uncolonization also explained that the cultural importance of coca in the history of Bolivia should not be underestimated. It is a symbol of indigenous identity and survival in the Andes, and such a celebration is held every year for the ACULLICO day.