Bolivia has increased the acreage devoted to fruit production from 70,000 hectares in 2006 to more than 114,890 hectares this year, namely as a result of the policies of the government of President Evo Morales, who has launched several programs to strengthen the sector, reported sources of the Ministry of Rural Development and Land.
"It's an area in which we have made truly considerable progress," stated the director of Agricultural Production and Food Sovereignty, Lucio Tito.
He said that bananas are grown on 18,480 hectares; peaches, on 6,539; mandarins, on 16,848; oranges, on 25,823; pineapples, on 4,152; frying plantains, on 38,500 and grapes on 4,554 hectares.
He explained that the total productions amount to 224,504 tonnes of bananas, 41,168 of peaches, 137,896 of mandarins, 189,913 of oranges, 50,599 of pineapples, 338,409 of frying plantains and 31,998 tonnes of grapes.
"Our fruit feeds the world; Argentina and Uruguay are benefiting from our bananas and the population is benefiting from a product that is grown in Bolivia; a product that is fresh, environmentally friendly and produced in the most natural way," he stressed.
He highlighted that the Government has been backing the National Fruit Production Program, which has received more than 69.5 million Bolivians in funding to increase and strengthen the country's fruit production.
He reported that, since its implementation, 595 new hectares of fruit crops have been created, representing 7% of the total production.
"Bolivia has been generating a surplus and our bananas are being shipped to other countries, like Argentina. Consumption levels are good and we intend to move forward with that momentum, promoting other products which will start covering the domestic demand and allow us to export," he concluded.
