Tunubala plans to invite government officials to the reservation soon to show that it's poppy-free. Volunteers have ripped up about 150 acres so far, he said, with 50 acres to go. The plants destroyed here represent only a small fraction of Colombia's total poppy crop, estimated by the government at nearly 7,500 acres. Although farmers are respecting the new eradication policy, many worry about the future. She said her family poppy plot is too small to successfully grow potatoes or other marketable crops.
Poppies are comparatively easy to grow and sell.
Men working for the drug traffickers go farmhouse to farmhouse on motorcycles, buying the gray syrup farmers extract from the plant's green bulbs. But the heroin trade also has brought violence and alcoholism to the peaceful Guambiano. Guerrillas have threatened the reservation and young Indians lured by fast cash are eschewing traditional customs. Tribal leaders will be under great pressure to deliver on promises of aid for alternative crops or businesses. We do not own nor are responsible for visitor comments.