Historically, when the focus of palm cultivation was cooking oil and cosmetics, Colombia always had manageable amounts of PC, said National University of Colombia researcher Edgar Benitez. But all that changed this decade when palm oil became desirable as a clean-burning substitute for diesel, and acreage doubled.

For reasons not fully understood, the PC microorganism has mutated into strains that spread much faster and can't be controlled, Benitez said. Over-fertilization and inadequate drainage are just two of the theories being advanced. But the bottom line, he said, is that African palm grown on such a massive scale is a relatively "new crop" and the knowledge base is small.

"The owners of neighboring plantations have resorted to witchcraft. They've hired magic-potion salesmen who also claim to have cures for AIDS and cancer. They've held Masses to bless one tree at a time," Barrera said. "Nothing works."

President Álvaro Uribe has tirelessly promoted the crop, making it a special cause. His government has begun to phase in mandated quotas that by 2015 will require that 20 percent of all fuel burned by trucks and buses be made with biofuels.

The government's promotion of African palm has generated enormous controversy here, as has been the case in other countries where similar campaigns are under way. Critics contend that a crop occupying hundreds of thousands of acres encourages land grabs and forces the displacement of impoverished farmers.THE END

Source: Seattle Times