Óscar Mario Justiniano: “We are not politicians, but we felt the need to be so”

The president of the Federation of Private Entrepreneurs of Santa Cruz (Fepsc), Oscar Mario Justiniano, in an interview with EL DEBER referred to the national dialogue held by the business sector with the Government.

– What is the outcome of the meeting with the Government?

The evaluation has a purely proactive character on the part of the private sector and there has also been attention from the public sector.We have agreed on 17 actions that both parties have committed to carry out. What we hope, unlike the points touched on in February, where some were fulfilled and others were not, is that on this occasion we not only hope, but demand that the different authorities and instances of the Government work on each of these steps in a timely manner, because it is not only a need of the business community, but it is a need at the national level for this to be achieved as soon as possible.

And for that, the president (Luis Arce) has scheduled a new meeting to follow up on all the agreements that have been reached.

– One of the 17 agreements states that the private sector will require the Plurinational Legislative Assembly (ALP) to approve external loans. How will they do this?

First, it is important to clarify that the ALP has political representation. As businessmen we are not politicians, nor do we influence political decisions, but the urgent need for this (the approval of credits) to happen has been seen, Because it is the first step to ensure the necessary liquidity in both the private and public financial systems, and thus be able to continue moving towards a solution.

– There is a shortage of foreign currency and one of the ways to obtain it is through private exports. Has the issue of full liberalization of exports been addressed?

Specifically, the export point has three components. The first is that it must have the least amount of paperwork, understanding that for this purpose a mechanism was created that is within the 17 points that is a single export window.

The second thing is that A fund of Bs 2.5 billion has been created to encourage private companies that They are making non-traditional exports, which can access this fund through the presentation of their sales contracts and their economic flow is dynamized. And the third is that exports, particularly from the agricultural sector, are given full and unrestricted liberalization, particularly those linked to the oilseed and meat sectors.

– The exchange rate of the parallel dollar does not fall below double digits. Was the issue of better control of its price addressed at the meeting?

Again, parallel exchange and high bank fees come first from to see that the flow of foreign currency can enter Bolivia more quickly And that is through international loans and new loans that can be acquired through international financing organizations.

And being able to increase, encourage and finance a greater number of exports is the second step to being able to boost the inflow of dollars. The third step is to work on the regulations, such as the investment law and many others, that are needed.