The Bolivian Institute for Foreign Trade (IBCE), has been kind enough to send us an important chart that shows Bolivia continues to import more and more food supplies.

The green bars are the value in millions of dollars. The red line shows the volume in thousands of tons. The yellow box reads: “503 thousand tons of food, totalling 375 million dollars were imported until July 2011. Bolivia falls back in food security.”

Pagina Siete reported on 9/29/11, using the same information: 68.7% was the increase in food imports as compared with similar period in 2010 (Jan-Jul). 298K tons in 2010 and 503K tons in 2011. Sugar, corn and wheat are the main products being imported.

According to IBCE, Bolivia used to export corn, now we depend on imports; 84K tons were imported from Jan-Jul 2011 period, totalling 32 million dollars.

As for sugar, Bolivia produced sufficient quantities to supply the internal market for decades; this year we imported 91,225 tons, paying 78 million dollars.

On June 26th, this year, current government approved the Productive Revolution Communal Agricultural Law; it is expected that the support given to indigenous and campesino (inter-cultural) communities will guarantee sovereign food security.

http://www.paginasiete.bo/2011-09-30/Economia/Destacados/11Eco01300911.aspx