Paulo Lizarraga / Pisiga
Losses from the export of ulexite fell by more than 10 million dollars during the last month after the border closure with Chile. The non-metallic mineral is used for the manufacture of glass, plastics and fertilizers, among others. “(The losses of the) sector must be above 10 million dollars in the last month. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are lost daily due to the intransigence of Chilean health entities,” said the owner of the company Import&Export Copla Ltda., Pablo Ormachea, in contact with Página Siete.
In this sense, the owner of the company maintains that the economic damage to mineral exporters and other companies “is repeated on all the country’s borders with Chile. The (marked) values are multiplied by the border”.
The company Copla Ltda. has been exporting ulexite in the department of Oruro for more than 33 years. The non-metallic mineral is exported mainly to China, Southeast Asia, India, the United States and also Brazil.
Photo: Import & Export Copla Ltda.
This ore was exported in larger volumes before the border closure applied by Chile weeks ago.
Ormachea specified that the shipment of trucks with ulexite to the border with the trans-Andean country was reduced from 20 to five loaded motorized trucks per week. He also pointed out that, like the company he manages, there are “hundreds of mining and non-mining companies that are affected by this situation.”
Precisely Page Seven made a tour of the highway to Chile and verified the kilometric line of trucks that prevents motorized vehicles such as those of the company from reaching their destination.
Photo: Paulo Lizárraga / Page Seven
Freddy Mallku, dispatch assistant of Copla Ltda., said that many carriers no longer want to travel to the border due to the queue of hundreds of motorized cargo workers, who have been stranded for between seven and 10 days near the border.
“We don’t have trucks to dispatch. The absence of trucks is diminishing because with the line in Pisiga many drivers no longer want to travel, or the owners do not want to give them per diems because they are staying between eight and ten days in line. With this, some choose to leave the truck stranded or make national trips,” Mallku said.
Ulexite exports, in turn, fell to just one truck shipped per day, confirmed Mallku. He mentioned that before these shipments were between five and six daily.
“Before, we dispatched between five and six trucks per day, depending on the production we have, but generally six trucks were dispatched (before the border closure). Not now, we are just sending a truck, depending on whether truckers dare to travel,” he added.
The dispatch assistant pointed out that in the last week 21 trucks were sent to the border and that some will only arrive these days to the border control point with Colchane, in Chile.
The neighboring country determined the closure of its borders with Bolivia since last Friday due to an outbreak of coronavirus cases in its customs officials, according to the Presidential Delegation of Parinacota, after confirming the taking of nasal antigen tests to Chilean officials.
shipping trucks
with ulexite it was reduced
from
20 to five
