Tarija business owners cannot import diesel, business federation says

Businesses in Bolivia’s Tarija department say they cannot immediately take over diesel imports because they lack the infrastructure required to store the fuel.

Franz Molina, president of the Federation of Private Entrepreneurs of Tarija, said cooperation on imports could become a future option, but would not solve the current shortage. “Joining forces to import diesel may be an alternative for the future, but not an immediate solution. In Tarija, we do not have the infrastructure needed to store fuel,” he said.

Molina said creating that capacity would require investment, planning and preparation. He added that businesses could invest if the government provided clear laws and legal certainty, pointing to companies in Santa Cruz that already have storage facilities.

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Joining forces to import diesel may be an alternative for the future, but not an immediate solution. In Tarija, we do not have the infrastructure needed to store fuel.

Moisés Hidalgo, president of the Association of Service Stations, said one fuel-sector businessman wanted to transport fuel from an importer to help meet domestic demand. But he said no company could currently manage the operation directly because importing a shipload would require substantial funding.

The Tarija business federation has also rejected the government’s differentiated diesel prices under Supreme Decree 5676. The reference price stands at 18 bolivianos per liter for large consumers and 9.80 bolivianos for transport operators and private individuals. Molina said businesses were demanding equal prices for diesel sales.

Gabriel Pérez, executive secretary of the departmental transport federation, said the sector remained concerned about the lack of concrete solutions to the daily shortage. Unionized transport operators are expected to meet next week to decide what action to take.

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Directly, there is no one who can do it because a ship requires a lot of money.