According to La Razón, coca has replaced fruit crops as the main agricultural product in Yungas (the cloud forest region of northern La Paz). While fruits are still produced in some parts of the Yungas, it seems that some areas must now import fruit. It used to be that Yungas was Bolivia’s fruitbasket. It seems this is no longer the case.
Miguel -
Is the "new" coca there the same as what's been grown there in the past - i.e., meant for chewing by locals? Or destined to be refined and exported as in the Chapare?
I can't speak to the new coca in the Yungas. But I suspect the Bolivian market for chewing coca has not increased radically in the past few years. So I suspect this is the famous "coca negra" (the chewing coca is "coca blanca") similar to that grown in Chapare.
Coca negra is essentially worthless for chewing (no self-respecting Bolivian would chew coca negra unless he was really, really desperate); it's main use is in the processing of coca paste (the main ingredient in cocaine). BTW, coca negra is also highly toxic for the soil, stripping it of nutrients & making for ecological problems down the road.