Coca, the raw material used to produce cocaine, is a plant grown almost exclusively in the Andean regions of South America

. The primary cultivation occurs in the countries of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, which together account for the vast majority of global coca crops. 

While it is grown in rural, often remote, agricultural areas and jungle regions rather than specific major cities, the cultivation is concentrated in certain administrative departments and valleys within these countries. 

Key Regions and Areas of Cultivation

• Colombia: The top producer of coca, with a record high in cultivation areas reported in recent years.
  • Departments: Nariño, Putumayo (bordering Ecuador), Norte de Santander (on the Venezuelan border), Caquetá, Meta, Guaviare, Antioquia, and Vichada.
  • Areas: The Catatumbo forest region is central to the country’s largest coca-growing area.
• Peru: The second largest producer of coca.
  • Areas: The Upper Huallaga Valley has been a historic center of cultivation. Cultivation has also advanced in the Amazon border regions of Ucayali and Loreto.
• Bolivia: The third largest producer, with cultivation permitted in specific amounts for traditional uses.
  • Areas: The Yungas of La Paz and the Chapare area in the department of Cochabamba. 

More recently, coca cultivation has also been detected in Central American countries like Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize, though the scale is smaller compared to the Andean nations. These areas are generally found in remote forest frontiers and mountainous regions, often in unpopulated or difficult-to-access terrain. 

Coca, the raw material used to produce cocaine, is a plant grown almost exclusively in the Andean regions of South America

. The primary cultivation occurs in the countries of Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia, which together account for the vast majority of global coca crops. 

While it is grown in rural, often remote, agricultural areas and jungle regions rather than specific major cities, the cultivation is concentrated in certain administrative departments and valleys within these countries. 

Key Regions and Areas of Cultivation

• Colombia: The top producer of coca, with a record high in cultivation areas reported in recent years.
  • Departments: Nariño, Putumayo (bordering Ecuador), Norte de Santander (on the Venezuelan border), Caquetá, Meta, Guaviare, Antioquia, and Vichada.
  • Areas: The Catatumbo forest region is central to the country’s largest coca-growing area.
• Peru: The second largest producer of coca.
  • Areas: The Upper Huallaga Valley has been a historic center of cultivation. Cultivation has also advanced in the Amazon border regions of Ucayali and Loreto.
• Bolivia: The third largest producer, with cultivation permitted in specific amounts for traditional uses.
  • Areas: The Yungas of La Paz and the Chapare area in the department of Cochabamba. 

More recently, coca cultivation has also been detected in Central American countries like Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize, though the scale is smaller compared to the Andean nations. These areas are generally found in remote forest frontiers and mountainous regions, often in unpopulated or difficult-to-access terrain.