Overview

According to the World Bank, the agriculture sector contributed 14 percent of the value-added share to Bolivia’s 2020 GDP, representing nearly a 2 percent increase from 2019.  Although agriculture forms an integral part of the Bolivian economy and society, Bolivia does not produce agricultural machinery.  Bolivia imports most machinery from the United States, China, Argentina, and Brazil.  When compared with other countries, Bolivian agricultural yields are among the lowest in the region.  Farmers and the Bolivian government are attempting to improve the Bolivian agriculture sector and increase agricultural yields, but they need modern equipment and technology to boost productivity and reduce the environmental impact of antiquated farming methods.  Bolivia also does not produce pesticides, instead importing from neighboring Latin American countries as well as China and the United States.

In 2015, the Bolivian government sought to triple its agricultural gross domestic product from $3 billion to $10 billion.  This effort was directly related to the government’s desire to make up Bolivia’s lost revenue from the fall in natural gas prices and to increase domestic food production.  Irrigation infrastructure and agricultural machinery were identified as key elements in need of development to achieve these goals, but progress has so far been limited.  Most commercial agriculture (farms operating on 50-5,000 hectares) is concentrated in the Department of Santa Cruz.  Agriculture in the western highlands is mainly carried out by small farmers (50 hectares or less).  Although agriculture is more developed and mechanized in Santa Cruz, the use of modern agricultural technologies in Bolivia is limited.  Santa Cruz’s multi-sector trade fair, Expocruz, is the best opportunity to market agriculture machinery and equipment to medium and large Bolivian farming companies.

Additional information on products of interest to the agricultural and food sector in Bolivia can be found on the Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS) website:  https://gain.fas.usda.gov/

*The Bolivian government does not provide estimates.

(Total market size = (total local production + imports) - exports)

Units: $ millions
Source: National Statistics Bureau (INE) 

Leading Sub-Sectors

The best sub-sector prospects would be new and used agriculture machinery as well as pesticides.  Tractors, soil cultivation, planting and harvesting, and irrigation-system equipment and machinery are top prospects.  Other prospects are pesticides, herbicides, and other agricultural chemicals, as well as new technologies for agricultural production (drone, satellite controls, etc.).

Opportunities

Farmers have prioritized irrigation improvement, and the government agreed to declare 2015-2025 as the “irrigation decade,” promising significant investment in irrigation systems.  Irrigation efforts will require several inputs, including pumps and machinery for digging channels.  They will also need more advanced and efficient techniques such as center-pivot irrigation, localized irrigation-sprinkler, and drip irrigation-systems.  The Bolivian Association for Importers of Agrochemicals (APIA) represents most of the legal importers of pesticides in Bolivia.  APIA maintains a well-established network in the sector and can help find distributors for new products.  The Oilseed and Wheat Producers Association of Bolivia (ANAPO) represents the largest farming companies in Bolivia, and they can help identify individual sector-needs and demands for agro-chemicals.

Resources

The Bolivian Association for Importers of Agrochemicals (APIA) https://www.apia-bolivia.org/

Oilseed and Wheat Producers Association of Bolivia (ANAPO) https://anapobolivia.org

Registry of agrochemicals  https://www.senasag.gob.bo/egp/productossv1.html

Cámara Agropecuaria del Oriente (CAO) https://www.cao.org.bo/

Bolivian Ministry for Rural Development and Lands https://www.ruralytierras.gob.bo

Bolivian National Service for Agriculture Sanitation (SENASAG) https://www.senasag.gob.bo

National Statistics Bureau (INE) https://www.ine.gob.bo/