Bolivia: Producers from the valleys of Santa Cruz denounced the entry of smuggled potatoes into the country

Producers from the valleys of Santa Cruz denounced the entry of smuggled potatoes into the country, an issue that is hitting their sales hard due to an oversupply of the product in the markets.

This was reflected in the observations of Luis Alberto Banegas, from the agricultural sector in the valleys of Santa Cruz, who reported that,  upon inspecting the potato stalls at the new Abasto market, he found Peruvian potatoes.  For the sector, this translates to less production at the sales points and losses amounting to millions of dollars.

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“There is overproduction in the Valleys and they are bringing in potatoes from other countries,  which makes prices drop even more,” Banegas said.

Currently the sector is in harvest season and is experiencing losses  because Peruvian potatoes are cheaper.

Each producer is losing about Bs 20,000 and since they have 2,000 hectares to harvest in production, this season  an estimated loss of Bs 60 million is expected for the productive sector.

Carmelo Melendres, mayor of Quirusilla and a producer, expressed the concern that afflicts the production sector due to the large losses they are registering.

He explained that  they have previously suffered similar losses because the unions buy smuggled Peruvian potatoes  since they are cheaper.

Producers are asking authorities  to investigate the origin of these potatoes, whether they are legal or smuggled,  and are advising the public to learn how to distinguish them: potatoes from the valley arrive in light blue bags, while Peruvian potatoes come in pink bags. Furthermore, their size, flavor, texture, and appearance are very different.