Colombia eradicates record amount of coca fields last year, president says

Colombia, a top source of coca, the base ingredient in cocaine, eradicated more than 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) of the crop last year, President Ivan Duque said on Thursday.The Andean country has come under repeated pressure from the United States, an important destination for cocaine shipments, to reduce coca cultivation, especially as crop figures shot up in recent years.The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has praised Duque's stepped-up eradication efforts.