On Wednesday, the local Government of Mizque asked the Ministry of Rural Development to stop importing onions from Peru because it lowers the price of the product in Bolivia, thus affecting producers.
"Mizque wants to ask the Ministry of Rural Development to streamline the entry of Peruvian onions into Bolivia because it lowers the price of the national product and harms producers," they stated.
The authority noted that Bolivia ranks fourth in the production of onions worldwide, with a volume of 57.9 million tonnes.
They also said that 81,000 tonnes of onions are grown in 10,000 hectares in Bolivia, yielding a national average of 8.6 tonnes per hectare, representing a value of more than 156 million annual Bolivians.
They noted that the departments with the highest production of onion are Cochabamba, Chuquisaca, Santa Cruz and La Paz.
"Therefore, we consider that the domestic production is enough to supply the domestic market so it makes no sense to continue importing it," they said.
Source: ABI
