After Columbia,Peru is the next-largest exporter of coca,the raw material for cocaine. Cultivating the coca plant has a long tradition. Andean people chew the leaves of the coca bush to stave off hunger and tiredness.And the plant also earns them money – a lot more than if they planted fruits or vegetables. And that’s the problem for those who want to eliminate the trade in the drug. Farmers have little incentive to stop growing coca when the alternative is to earn less and possibly go hungry.
