MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivian president Morales re-elected as head of coca-growers federation

Indigenous Bolivians sells coca leaves on the street

President Evo Morales has been re-elected as head of Bolivia's largest coca-growers union, a post he has held for more than two decades.

Morales was sworn in late Monday as head of the Six Federations of the Tropic of Cochabamba, which represents more than 40,000 growers. The coca leaf is used to make cocaine but also has traditional uses in the Andes, dating back thousands of years, where it is chewed, made into tea and used in religious ceremonies.

Morales called his leadership of the union largely “symbolic” but promised regular meetings. His re-election was criticized by opposition members, who said it was inappropriate given an apparent rise in drug trafficking violence.

Bolivia is the third-largest producer of coca and cocaine after Colombia and Peru.

The coca planters considered in the congress, how to control production and the volumes which find their way to the drugs’ business. Another issue was the formal industrialization and export of coca by products.

One of the initiatives considered was to convert the coca leaves markets in La Paz and Sacaba (Cochabamba) into hubs for the sale of by products such as coca flour, tea, creams, sweets and liqueurs