Soy Cultivation in Bolivia

Soy Cultivation in Bolivia has rapidly displaced the cultivation of other crops, pasture-based cattle ranching, and untouched virgin forests and grasslands. Much of it is then exported to China and Europe.

In 2008, five of the world's top 10 soybean producers were in South America: Brazil (2), Argentina (3), Paraguay (6), Bolivia (8), and Uruguay (9). For more information, see the article on Soy Cultivation in South America.

Expansion of Soybean Cultivation
The following information is taken from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's FAOSTAT database:

Year: Area of Soybeans Harvested (Hectares)
 * 1970: 1,000
 * 1975: 9,450
 * 1980: 37,580
 * 1985: 60,518
 * 1990: 143,372
 * 1995: 428,326
 * 2000: 616,964
 * 2001: 615,292
 * 2002: 637,124
 * 2003: 684,213
 * 2004: 803,990
 * 2005: 941,068
 * 2006: 950,118
 * 2007: 958,279
 * 2008: 785,793
 * 2009: 979,678

Year: Soybeans Produced (Tonnes)
 * 1970: 1,500
 * 1975: 11,930
 * 1980: 47,595
 * 1985: 83,264
 * 1990: 232,743
 * 1995: 870,074
 * 2000: 1,197,251
 * 2001: 1,152,270
 * 2002: 1,246,495
 * 2003: 1,586,031
 * 2004: 1,585,846
 * 2005: 1,693,087
 * 2006: 1,618,966
 * 2007: 1,595,947
 * 2008: 1,259,676
 * 2009: 1,499,376

Soybean Exports
All data in this section comes from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's FAOSTAT database. In 2008, Bolivia's largest export was soybean cake (808,350 tonnes). Its second largest export was soybean oil (147,687 tonnes), and its fifth largest export was soybeans (86,681 tonnes). That year, Bolivia exported only 7 percent of its soybean crop as unprocessed soybeans.

In 2008, Bolivia was the world's 11th largest exporter of soybeans and the 8th largest exporter of soybean cake and soybean oil. Assuming each crushed soybean yields 80% meal (cake) and 18.3% oil, Bolivia exported about 80% of its soybeans that year in the form of cake and oil.

Year: Soybean exports
 * 1990: 67,557 tonnes
 * 1995: 208,827 tonnes
 * 2000: 215,955 tonnes
 * 2001: 8,840 tonnes
 * 2002: 29,173 tonnes
 * 2003: 115,229 tonnes
 * 2004: 89,622 tonnes
 * 2005: 146,479 tonnes
 * 2006: 70,235 tonnes
 * 2007: 66,057 tonnes
 * 2008: 86,681 tonnes

Year: Soybean cake exports (tonnes)
 * 2000: 628,560
 * 2001: 830,296
 * 2002: 1,034,780
 * 2003: 1,062,100
 * 2004: 1,101,560
 * 2005: 1,040,330
 * 2006: 1,112,990
 * 2007: 1,022,270
 * 2008: 808,350

Year: Soybean oil exports (tonnes):
 * 2000: 154,998
 * 2001: 177,601
 * 2002: 187,478
 * 2003: 216,161
 * 2004: 213,129
 * 2005: 213,321
 * 2006: 225,421
 * 2007: 198,535
 * 2008: 147,687

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