Overview
- Queues at service stations have fallen by more than 50–60% in the first days of Rodrigo Paz’s government, according to a regional hydrocarbons official.
- Hydrocarbons Minister Mauricio Medinacelli says fuel imports were increased by about 40% after regularizing contracts signed under former president Luis Arce.
- Gasoline and diesel availability is improving in major cities including La Paz, El Alto and Cochabamba, though recovery is slower in Santa Cruz where business leaders seek assured supply for agriculture.
- Paz oversaw the entry of tanker trucks and traveled to the United States to meet officials and multilateral executives as the government works to resolve fuel and dollar shortages.
- Bolivia imports roughly 60% of its gasoline and nearly 90% of its diesel at a cost of about $3 billion a year, contributing to a fiscal deficit near 10% of GDP, while the parallel dollar rate has eased from recent peaks.