Cuba, Uruguay Together in Coca Leaf Research

Both countries already expressed their interest of importing from industrialized products made out of the coca plant

Uruguay and Cuba will research the medicinal and nutritional values of the coca leaves, informed the person in charge of the Industrialization Unit of the Vice Ministry of that plant in Bolivia, Jesus Sanez.

For that, both countries already expressed their interest of importing from the Andean-Amazonic nation, industrialized products of that antique plant, detailed Sanez to the Bolivian Information Agency.

He also clarified that Uruguay pretends to carry out studies of the coca components in the area of health, nutrition and medicine and Cuba has already obtained some results of analysis carried out.

He added that from the studies to be developed it is expected to sign international agreements with those two countries to export products made from coca, as it was agreed with Ecuador.

‘Starting from the investigation they carry out, they will be able to determine if the coca leaf is beneficial for its consumption by the population and from there, we could sign an agreement with them in order to export’, he said.

In November, the foreign ministries of Bolivia and Ecuador signed an agreement that allows to export products derived from the coca leaf to that country.

In this regard, Sanez announced that by the end of this year they will send the first industrialized products as coca mates (infusión) once Bolivian businesspeople find Ecuadorian companies that represent them in that country.

The United Nations Organization already recognized the right of Bolivian citizens to consume coca leaves in its natural state.

For its part, the Bolivian Government has reflected that right in a decree issued last March. The General Law on Coca, separates the leaf from the illegal substances and establishes 22 thousand hectares for this crop in the country.