El Deber’s editorial is striking!! Bolivia is about to lose its most important LEGAL, sustainable export from Chapare…!!??
The future of Chapare
The Argentine Government has just closed its borders to the entry of bananas produced in Bolivia, mainly from the Chapare, creating a political, economic and diplomatic problem that the Government of the MAS fails to address. The economic policy of the Government of Mrs. Cristina Fernández, widow of Kirchner has caused serious problems to the Argentine businessmen, it has curbed trade with Brazil, has suffered the relations with Paraguay and now points to impair trade with Bolivia.
The decision of the Argentinean Customs does not allow further affidavits for Bolivian banana exports, [which] may slow shipments, last year reached 4,850,000 boxes, 90% of Bolivian exports of the fruit. There was no explanation on the causes of that measure, but what is more worrying is that the national authorities have not opened their mouth about this attack on Bolivia’s legal economy. From the diplomatic point of view, Bolivia can claim in various forums, beginning with the Mercosur, LAIA and others, without excluding the possibility that the case be taken to the stage of the ALBA.
The blow can be very hard for Bolivian entrepreneurs who have suffered many setbacks in their eagerness to engage in legal crops in Chapare. It is fresh in the memory of Bolivians how the coca growers of the area proposed to impose that there, they should only cultivate coca. A national entrepreneur gave battle to defend their right to grow banana in Chapare, until he was expelled by the growers. Other entrepreneurs, in the hotel sector, had to close their businesses for the imposition of the coca growers. This means that if banana of Chapare farmers cannot count on its main export market, which is Argentina, there will be new areas which will turn to coca.
The Argentine Government is said to be very fond of its Bolivian counterpart. Make common fronts against the legal assurances for investments in international meetings, but it shows that the economic policy of the widow of Kirchner does not understand friendships or sympathies. It is now that the Bolivian Government should make all representations [needed] to ensure the Argentine market for national banana. If it does not achieve that objective, the risk is that it would impose the coca in Chapare, monopoly with its consequences of drug trafficking, violence and insecurity
[El Deber’s] Editorial Board: Peter f. Rivero Jordán, Juan Carlos Rivero Jordán, Tuffi Aré Vázquez, Lupe Cajias, Agustín Saavedra w. and Percy Añez R.
Bolivian Thoughts 
En Argentina hay Banana de producción en las provincias de Salta Jujuy y Formosa y primero estarán los granjeros y trabajadores Argentinos por sobre todas las cosas. La producción del Chapare debería buscar varios mercados y no concentrarse solo en Argentina, esa no es una buena política comercial pues se quedan sin alternativas. Por otro lado un país no puede exigir a otro que compre su 90% de la producción y deje de lado la producción propia. Deberían certificar para exportar a Europa por ejemplo como lo hace Ecuador.
Gracias Miguel, el dilema desde fines de los 80s en desarrollo alternativo era encontrar un producto que pudiese competir con la coca. Cuando se empezó a producir banano, se introdujeron miles de plantines. Lo que mas preocupaba era la cadena de frio, no teniamos experiencia, desde esa epoca hasta el 2000, el desafio de buscar otros mercados representaba competir con Ecuador, Chuiquita banana, etc. Muy dificil de hacer porque estos tenían volumen, calidad y no tenian bloqueos cocaleros… Por eso la produccion del Chapare vio con mayor posibilidad el Argentino, sabiamos que empezaban su produccion en esas provincias y varias veces, con la excusa del colera, aunque parezca ridiculo, detenian nuestras exportaciones. Ahora con este gobierno, estamos aun mas lejos de competir con esos otros productores…