A new scandal shakes the state apparatus. The director of Bolivia inputs, Lauren Fernándezdenounced that the entity faces an economic damage for the Falling rice purchase to an Argentine company. The cargo, composed of more than 700 tons of the grain, not only presents serious deficiencies in terms of quality, but also signs of pollution, which prevents its distribution in the domestic market.
“We are facing a serious problem. Rice does not meet the minimum technical standards and represents a risk to the health of the population, ”Fernández told Bolivia TV.
The case has an aggravating: the Bolivian state had already delivered an advance of 63 million Bolivians, But a court order prevents the collection of the guarantee policy, which blocks the recovery of these resources. “The company, far from responding to breach, has initiated a legal process to prevent us from charging that guarantee. We are attached to judicially, ”explained the authority.
According to Fernández, there are strong indications of falsification in the health certificates of the country of origin. “It is not a national Senasag certificate, but a falsified one of the Argentine homologous entity. This is being investigated because it is a key document to authorize the importation of food products,” he said.
In the midst of the conflict, the imported product remains stored, without the possibility of being delivered or distributed. “We cannot give it, not even the Ministry of Productive Developmentbecause it is out of norm and it would be a risk to deliver it, ”he added.
Faced with this situation, inputs Bolivia announced that it will resume direct rice import, but under strict quality and traceability controls, with an exhaustive verification of suppliers and logistics accompaniment. “We will ensure that the rice that arrives is in optimal conditions and with fair prices for the population”Fernández concluded.
The government had authorized the importation of more than 40,000 tons of rice in an attempt to stop the shortage of the product and the increase in its price in the domestic market. However, this case questions the quality control and verification chain that should ensure that imported food complied with the established sanitary and safety standards.
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