Bolivia Suspends Food Exports to Guarantee Local Supply

On Wednesday, the administration of President Luis Arce decided to temporarily suspend the export of some agricultural products to guarantee domestic food supply, which is at risk due to the right-wing stoppage in the department of Santa Cruz.

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“Given the risk of a shortage of strategic food for the population, the national government temporarily suspends the export of the following products: soybeans, soybean cake, whole soybean meal, sugar, oil, and beef,” Productive Development Minister Nestor Huanca said.

The suspension of exports of these products began on Thursday and will continue as long as there are no normal supply conditions across Bolivian territory.

Huanca blamed Santa Cruz Governor Luis Fernando Camacho, the Civic Committee President Romulo Calvo, and and Gabriel Moreno University Rector Vicente Cuellar for threatening the population's food security.

The tweet reads, "From vans with covered license plates, they attacked the residence of Santa Cruz Mayor Jhonny Fernandez, who spoke out against the 48-hour stoppage promoted by Governor Fernando Camacho to pressure the government to advance the 2024 census."

“They are the only ones to blame for the millionaire losses to the productors. Our government will ensure the well-being of the people by guaranteeing their access to food at a fair price in the domestic market,” he stressed.

Over the past week, Santa Cruz elites have been leading a "strike" to demand that the Arce administration carry out the population and housing census before the end of this year.

Initially, the population census was scheduled for November, but the national government decided to postpone it until 2024 due to technical problems. The allocation of economic resources for regions and municipalities depends on the results of the census.

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