In 2021, the budget for the municipalities of Santa Cruz will be Bs 893 million ($128.1 mn), Bs 271 million ($38.9 mn) less than in 2020. According to the provincial mayors, this will put a brake on works and put them in a difficult situation to respond to the demands of health, education and infrastructure. Some will have to suspend different projects.
Day: Aug 24, 2020
Government and Searpi sign agreement for $1.43 mn to reforest areas affected by fires
The Ministry of Environment and Water and the Service for Channelling the Piraí River (Searpi), depending on the Government of Santa Cruz, signed an agreement in which Bs 10 million ($1.43 mn) will allocate for the reforestation of 171,000 hectares that were affected by the fires. Bs 7 million ($1 mn) will be in charge of the Government and the remaining Bs 3 million ($431,034) will be paid by the Government of Santa Cruz, through Searpi.
Forty-three tons of gold shores up Bolivia’s Central Bank reserves
Bolivia's long-term commitment to gold is helping to shore up its bonds, even as the Covid-19 pandemic hits the country with more than 100,000 infected. Approximately 43 tons of gold held by the Central Bank have skyrocketed in value as the price of the precious metal has surpassed $2,000 per troy ounce. Bonds maturing in 2028 have risen from 13 cents to 88.6 cents. Bolivia is the country with the highest percentage of gold reserves (42%), surpassing Argentina with 8.7% and Paraguay with 5.6%.
Frosts destroy 30% of the fruit production of the Santa Cruz valleys
The Sabucal community, which belongs to the municipality of El Trigal, has late snowfalls that affected 30 per cent of its fruit production. Likewise, the frosts have damaged the high altitude crops of the municipalities of Pucará, Moro Moro and Vallegrande and the crops of potato, tomato, peas, and plums was compromised, which may cause their prices to increase.
Floods affect 12,976 hectares
The authorities of the municipality of San Pedro, 140 kilometres north of the capital of Santa Cruz, reported that the floods last Friday morning affected seven communities and at least 12,976 hectares, leaving considerable losses in soybean, sorghum, corn and vegetable crops.
Textile and jewellery exports fall by up to 67% and food exports rise
Bolivian textile apparel fell 68% in value and 67% in volume over the same period in 2019. Jewellers also experienced falls of up to 50%. Quinoa exports improved from an amount of 43.3 million dollars in the first half of 2019 to 45.2 million dollars this year. The sugar sector exported 52.4 million kilograms between January and June this year, a figure higher than the 38.9 million kilograms of 2019. External sales of sunflower and its derivatives reached 75 million kilograms by July 2020, more than the 43.6 million kilograms of 2019.
