|  ElCiudadano.cl |  Noticias

El Ciudadano

Original article: Productores de soya dan 72 horas al Gobierno de Bolivia: gestión de Rodrigo Paz deja al campo sin diésel ni cosecha

Soybean farmers from the municipality of San Juan, situated in the agricultural heartland of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, have issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the administration of President Rodrigo Paz, demanding immediate and concrete solutions to the critical diesel shortage that is hindering the harvest and the sudden drop in local grain prices caused by his governance.

If their demands remain unanswered, the sector plans to take indefinite pressure measures, which may include blocking national roadways and seizing oil wells.

The agricultural sector in Santa Cruz, a cornerstone of food security and Bolivia’s export economy, is on the brink of total shutdown, with soybean farmers declaring an unprecedented emergency.

“The primary concern is the lack of diesel, a vital hydrocarbon whose shortage is crippling agricultural machinery and preventing farmers from advancing their production tasks,” reported TeleSUR.

However, the issue is not just operational; it’s economic as well. Elsa Coca, a seasoned farmer, described a profitability crisis unseen for many years. This depreciation, coupled with increasing costs from irregular fuel sourcing and storage, has made it unfeasible for many medium and small producers to continue their campaigns.

In light of this scenario, the sector demands the government implement effective controls to ensure fuel supply and prevent further harm to agricultural production, particularly soybean, which is considered the backbone of Santa Cruz’s economy.

Nevertheless, the Paz administration has yet to issue an official response to the soybean farmers’ concerns. This silence comes exactly one month after the right-leaning president took office alongside Vice President Edmand Lara on November 8, when he pledged to normalize the hydrocarbons sector.

Furthermore, he claimed that tankers of hydrocarbons have been entering Bolivia since that date, and he was even seen in front of a convoy of tankers that arrived at a key plant in Senkata, located in District 8 of El Alto city, aimed at reducing diesel imports by producing Vegetable Origin Additives (AOV).

However, various sectors of the economy, including transporters, have reported fuel shortages.

Criticism of Measures and Decisions Implemented by Rodrigo Paz in Bolivia

The discontent among soybean farmers is not an isolated issue but rather the spearhead of a wave of criticism that is growing against the initial decisions of the Paz administration. Over 60 national unions and historic social organizations, such as the Unique Confederation of Farmers of Bolivia, have expressed their outright rejection, arguing that the new government’s economic decrees favor privileged sectors while sidelining the majority.

“The economic measures «simply benefit them, but less so the peasant folk,” said Vicente Choque, vice president of the farmers’ confederation, referring to the speed with which the government addresses business concerns compared to those of popular sectors and workers.

To illustrate this abandonment, Choque recounted an ongoing emergency that still awaits a response: «the loss of more than 3,000 hectares of crops due to rains in Chapare did not receive government assistance,» he noted.

“We urgently need support to recover some fertilizing productions. There is nothing,” he said, highlighting the lack of state support after natural disasters, as reported by TeleSUR.

Beyond the lack of aid, the farmers’ leader issued a stern warning regarding what he perceives as the new government’s rhetorical strategy. He cautioned that the official narrative, portraying the inherited nation as a «»cesspool and a corpse,»» conceals a goal based on «preparing the population to accept the privatization of state enterprises and the transfer of strategic natural resources to private control.»

As this political debate intensifies, time is running out for the producers of San Juan. The 72 hours of their ultimatum are ticking toward a potential confrontation if there is no governmental intervention to unlock the diesel supply and stabilize the soybean market.

The first major test for Rodrigo Paz’s government, which came to power promising efficiency and solutions to crises, is now unfolding in the fuel-starved fields of Santa Cruz. The country awaits whether the response will be dialogue or conflict.

La entrada Soy Farmers Issue 72-Hour Ultimatum to Bolivia’s Government: Rodrigo Paz’s Administration Leaves Agriculture Without Diesel or Harvest se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.