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The Impact of the Andean Trade Preference Act Twelfth ... - USITC

The Impact of the Andean Trade Preference Act Twelfth ... - USITC

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National alternative development programs, working in conjunction with USAID, havehelped 170,000 families in coca and poppy growing zones in Colombia move away fromillegal crop cultivation toward legal crops such as cacao, fruit, and c<strong>of</strong>fee. 323 <strong>The</strong> U.S.Embassy reports that ATPA has provided significant economic benefits to Colombia over<strong>the</strong> past decade, creating an estimated 123,000 jobs during <strong>the</strong> first 10 years <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> program.Under ATPDEA, ano<strong>the</strong>r 150,000 jobs are expected to be added by December 2006. <strong>The</strong>Embassy highlights ATPA benefits for Colombian manufactures, notably in textiles andapparel, including lea<strong>the</strong>r products. <strong>The</strong> Embassy points to ATPA benefits for Colombianagriculture, especially in sectors such as flowers and fresh fruit. ATPA-related growth in <strong>the</strong>Colombian flower sector, in particular, has generated over 94,000 direct hires andapproximately 80,000 indirect hires, primarily in <strong>the</strong> areas surrounding Bogota and Medellin,Colombia’s two largest cities. 324In addition, <strong>the</strong> U.S. Embassy pointed out that access to <strong>the</strong> U.S. market helps supportalternative crop prices at economically viable levels. ATPA preferences also bolster supportby <strong>the</strong> Colombian private sector, which in turn presses <strong>the</strong> Colombian government tocontinue counternarcotics efforts so as to retain <strong>the</strong> commercial benefits granted under <strong>the</strong>ATPA program. 325EcuadorEcuador has no significant coca cultivation, although it does serve as a transshipment pointfor quantities <strong>of</strong> coca products as well as finished cocaine and heroin. In 2005, Ecuadoriansecurity forces eradicated about 36,160 cultivated coca plants found at small, scattered sitesin <strong>the</strong> country. Although insignificant commercially, coca cultivation in Ecuador in 2005was estimated at about double that <strong>of</strong> 2004. According to <strong>the</strong> U.S. Department <strong>of</strong> State, thisincrease, in conjunction with <strong>the</strong> discovery <strong>of</strong> a small, partially harvested opium poppyplantation, suggests that growers are testing <strong>the</strong> feasibility <strong>of</strong> drug crop cultivation inEcuador. 326Alternative Development<strong>The</strong> Government <strong>of</strong> Ecuador established <strong>the</strong> Unidad de Desarollo Norte (Udenor, <strong>the</strong>Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Development Body) in 2000 to coordinate economic and social developmentprograms in <strong>the</strong> country’s nor<strong>the</strong>rn border region. 327 With illegal crop cultivation in <strong>the</strong>nor<strong>the</strong>rn region not presently significant, Udenor aims at preventive ra<strong>the</strong>r than alternativedevelopment in carrying out <strong>the</strong> government’s multiyear, $400-million master plan todevelop <strong>the</strong> region. <strong>The</strong> plan, largely dependent on <strong>the</strong> support <strong>of</strong> foreign donors, includesstreng<strong>the</strong>ning <strong>the</strong> local economy by building productive capacity and economic and socialinfrastructure and conserving environmental resources. USAID has agreed to provide <strong>the</strong>323 U.S. Department <strong>of</strong> State telegram, “<strong>The</strong> S<strong>of</strong>t Side <strong>of</strong> Plan Colombia: Special Social Programs <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>Uribe Administration,” message reference No. 2804, prepared by U.S. Embassy, Bogota, Mar. 29, 2006, par.3.324 U.S. Department <strong>of</strong> State telegram, “Colombia ATPDEA-related <strong>Act</strong>ivity 2005,” message referenceNo. 5571, prepared by U.S. Embassy, Bogota, June 21, 2006.325Ibid.; and U.S. Department <strong>of</strong> State telegram, “ATPDEA-related Investment <strong>Act</strong>ivity during 2004,”message reference No. 5762, prepared by U.S. Embassy, Bogota, June 16, 2005.326U.S. Department <strong>of</strong> State, INCSR 2006, p. 110.327 U.S. Department <strong>of</strong> State, INCSR 2006, pp. 110-111. See also ATPA 2004, p. 4-13.4-9

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