COLOMBIA AGREES TO USE HERBICIDE ON COCA CROPS

Warnings: Manufacturer says there could be risky side effects.

New York Times

BOGOTA, Colombia -- Bowing to demands from Washington, the Colombian
government has agreed to test a granular herbicide to kill coca crops,
despite public warnings from the chemical's American manufacturer against
its use in Colombia.

In the United States, the herbicide, tebuthiuron, is used mostly to control
weeds on railroad beds and under high-voltage lines far from food crops and
people.

The Environmental Protection Agency requires a warning label on the chemical
that says it could contaminate ground water, a side effect Colombian
environmental officials fear could prevent peasants from growing food where
coca once grew.

U.S. officials have decided to concentrate more heavily on treating illegal
drug crops with chemicals, particularly in parts of southern Colombia under
the control of leftist guerrillas. Those guerrillas have fired on aircraft
attempting to spray herbicides on coca crops. But tebuthiuron can be dropped
instead of sprayed, making the task easier under such conditions.

The increase in fumigation comes at the expense of other measures to control
drug smuggling, a recent U.S. government investigation concluded.

American and Colombian police officials say a granular herbicide will be
more effective in the battle to control drugs. For four years, they have
used a liquid herbicide, glifosate, that has destroyed only 30 percent of
the plants sprayed. Despite the effort, the amount of coca in Colombia has
yet to decline, because eradication has prompted farmers to move and plant
coca elsewhere. Last year, Colombia became the world's leading coca grower.

American and Colombian authorities also contend that tebuthiuron offers
greater protection from gunfire for pilots, who must now fly low to fumigate
in the early morning hours, when winds are calm and temperatures are lower.
Tebuthiuron pellets can be dropped from higher altitudes in virtually any
weather, making pilots less vulnerable to gunfire, police officials here
said. Washington has lobbied Andean governments to accept tebuthiuron for
more than a decade, even though the chemical's manufacturer, Dow
AgroSciences, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co., strongly opposes its use in
Colombia.

``Tebuthiuron is not labeled for use on any crops in Colombia, and it is our
desire that the product not be used for coca eradication as well,'' the
company said in a statement.

Dow, which faced years of lawsuits and public protest over the use of its
Agent Orange defoliant during the Vietnam War, said that if approached, it
would refuse to sell tebuthiuron for use in Colombia. However, American
officials note Dow's patent on the chemical has expired, allowing others to
make it legally.

Checked-by: "Rolf Ernst"