Sep 08, 2009
Bolivia To Produce 1.5 mt Of Soybeans In 2009-10
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Soybean farmers in Bolivia are also facing significant social and political pressures. The farmers in the eastern lowlands are in a bitter struggle with the indigenous-run government of the western highlands. Its almost like there are two different countries inside of Bolivia. The eastern lowlands is where the agriculture, industry, and natural gas is located, but the western highlands holds the majority of the population. The indigenous-run government is trying to exert more control over the resource-rich lowlands, which has resulted in violent clashes between the two groups. The soybeans in Bolivia are grown in these eastern lowlands by mostly Brazilian farmers who moved to Bolivia in search of cheaper land. Needless to say, the attitude toward the Brazilian farmers has turned hostile and it is uncertain how all this will play out.
Brazilian farmers are going to be very cautious about investing their limited resources in Bolivia because no one knows if there will be allowed to stay in the country. Under such uncertainty, it is estimated that the Bolivian soybean acreage will be less than last year (0.75 million hectares vs. 1.3 million) and the total Bolivian soybean production will be only 1.5 million tons.