La Razon newspaper published today a report about the reduction of crop surface for the agricultural year. A comparison of agricultural years 2008-2009 with 2009-2010 shows a decrease of 99,000 hectares.

The chart shows in its first column “Percentage and hectares grown by agricultural year, per region” Regions are: the lowlands (Beni and Santa Cruz); valleys (Chuquisaca, Tarija and Cochabamba); highlands (Potosi, La Paz, Oruro). The second column “National total surface of grown hectares per agricultural year, 2006-2010). The third column “Percentage and hectares grown by agricultural year (main axis)”, in Bolivia its customary to talk about the axis as Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and La Paz, as there are more developed in general than the other departments/cities.

The vice-minister for Rural Development, Victor Hugo Vasquez is confident that this reduction will be reversed this year, without deforestation “because the country has the possibilities.”

http://www.la-razon.com/version.php?ArticleId=134749&EditionId=2607

This article describes that Yungas is producing more coca than food supplies. According to Tierra Foundation, this is happening because it is more profitable to produce coca. Gonzalo Colque, Director for Tierra said this has to stop, as we should not depend on food imports.

http://www.la-razon.com/version.php?ArticleId=134750&EditionId=2607

Food security for Bolivia is in peril. It doesn’t matter if agricultural land is shrinking because of the lack of support from the government; or because exports are banned and have more bureaucratic red tape; or investors going elsewhere; or maybe coca plots are winning over food production. Bolivia is depending more on imports (legal and illegal) and that is not good for the small producer, and for the budget of the household.