Bolivia: Market loss warned due to meat export ban
The Minister of Rural Development and Lands, Yamil Flores, confirmed in Santa Cruz that the country has sufficient beef production to supply the domestic market, ruling out any future imports from Argentine or any other country.
According to Flores, Bolivia has 11 million head of cattle. "There should be no speculation or attempts to cause political damage to the government because of these, perhaps misinterpretations that have arisen in recent days."
Regarding the suspension of beef exports, Minister Flores confirmed that the measure will remain in place until the price per kilo of red meat drops, while urging livestock producers to "think of the public" and reduce the current price per kilo.
Meanwhile, the president of the National Chamber of Exporters of Bolivia (Caneb), Osvaldo Barriga, warned that if the veto on beef exports remains in effect, it puts key markets for the product at risk, such as China and Peru, which have been hard to obtain.
In the more than 90 days of restrictions, losses totaling $63 million have been recorded.
"The meat is Bolivian, it's produced for Bolivia, and the surplus is exported. We're talking about no more than 12% of production that's exported. So, this isn't hurting us; it's causing us to lose a market that Bolivia struggled to acquire: the Chinese market, the Peruvian market. We struggled to acquire that market", Barriga stated.
The businessman emphasized that when markets encounter difficulties with meat buyers, they opt for another supplier. "That's where we're doing tremendous damage to the country. We're presenting a very poor image as Bolivians to the world".
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