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BOLIVIA is a landlocked country of central South America, divided into three areas: a cold Andean highland plateau where most of the population lives; subtropical valleys in the east that contain most of the agricultural production; and tropical plains that are used for livestock and farming of grains, including rice. Agriculture nearly occupies half of the workforce.
General information
- GNI per capita PPP$, 2000: 2,360
- Internal renewable water resources: 300 km3
- Main food consumed: wheat, sugar and honey, maize, roots and tubers, rice
- Rice consumption, 1999: 14.4 kg milled rice per person per year
Production constraints
There are several constraints to sustainable rice production in Bolivia:
- Drought stress caused by unreliable rainfall, aluminum toxicity, and soil fertility losses in dominant upland systems
- Blast and rice hoja blanca virus
- Weed competition
- Inadequate knowledge and equipment for land preparation for small rice farmers in Santa Cruz, where more than 50% of the rice area is found
- Lack of credit and input supplies to small farmers, especially in Santa Cruz
Production season |
|
|
|
Planting |
Harvesting |
Main season |
Oct-Nov |
Feb-Mar |
Basic statistics, Bolivia |
|
1985 |
1990 |
1995 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
Rice |
Area harvested (ha) |
112,792 |
109,381 |
129,569 |
143,257 |
127,740 |
161,175 |
Yield (t/ha) |
1.5 |
1.9 |
2.0 |
2.1 |
1.5 |
1.9 |
Production (t) |
173,156 |
211,263 |
263,285 |
301,341 |
189,388 |
310,099 |
Rice imports (t) |
19,000 |
1,329 |
274 |
275 |
275 |
na |
Paddy imports (t) |
0 |
5 |
203 |
na |
na |
na |
Rice exports (t) |
na |
na |
na |
1,350 |
1,350 |
na |
Paddy exports (t) |
na |
na |
na |
55 |
55 |
na |
Others |
Population, total (x103) |
5,895 |
6,573 |
7,414 |
7,957 |
8,142 |
na |
Population, agriculture (x103) |
2,833 |
2,931 |
3,246 |
3,445 |
3,512 |
na |
Agricultural area (x103 ha) |
34,697 |
35,321 |
35,665 |
36,034 |
na |
na |
Irrigated agricultural area (x103 ha) |
125 |
125 |
128 |
128 |
na |
na |
Total fertilizer consumption (t) |
5,800 |
5,162 |
6,769 |
7,444 |
na |
na |
Tractors used in agric. (no.) |
4,750 |
5,200 |
5,500 |
5,700 |
na |
na |
Source: FAOSTAT online database. |
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