G/SPS/GEN/2048   
8 July 2022  
(22-5281) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: Spanish  
 
  
RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY BOLIVIA ON PERUVIAN  
AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS (STC NO. 530) 
COMMUNICATION FROM PERU  
The following communication, received on 8 July 2022, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Peru. 
 
____________ ___ 
 
 
1.  Peru would like to express before WTO Members its trade concern regarding various restrictive 
measures that the Government of Bolivia has applied on Peruvian agricultural exports over the past 
three years. These measures have established ( de facto ) blockades on the entry into the 
Bolivian  market of the main products originating in Peru, such as potatoes and onions. Measures 
restricting the exportation of Peruvian whole trout, which have no technical basis, have also been in 
place since 2017.  
2.  In this c onnection, it should be mentioned that, on 9 May 2022, the General Secretariat of the 
Andean Community issued Resolution No. 2264 on the investigation procedure presented by Peru to 
Bolivia, in which it decided to qualify as restrictions of any kind the se t of administrative measures 
applied by Bolivia, which consisted of temporarily ceasing to issue phytosanitary import permits, 
temporarily suspending phytosanitary inspections at the Binational Border Service Centre (CEBAF) 
at Desaguadero, and hindering th e import process of various Peruvian plant products.  
3.  In this regard, Peru wishes to request Bolivia to comply with the provisions of the aforementioned 
Resolution and to submit quarterly reports on the issuance of phytosanitary import permits, 
phytosanitar y inspections and the import process at the CEBAF at Desaguadero for agricultural 
products originating in Peru, for a period of one calendar year.  
4.  Furthermore, with respect to Peru's interest in exporting trout, it should be noted that, despite 
the fact th at the Bolivian health authority officially communicated the approval of the harmonized 
health certificate for the exportation of fresh or chilled/whole or loose trout in 20171, to date it has 
not complied with the corresponding commitments to allow the e xport of whole trout to Bolivia, even 
though the Peruvian health authority has been carrying out activities at the border so that trout can 
be marketed and a safe and healthy product guaranteed.  
5.  It is much more worrying that, in January 2022, the National Agricultural Health and Food Safety 
Service (SENASAG) indicated that its current regulations allowed for the marketing only of 
eviscerated animals and that other types of products could thus not be accepted under its regulatory 
framework. In other words, f ive years after approving a health certificate for the exportation of 
whole trout, SENASAG is unjustifiably restricting access for this product.  
 
1 CITE/SENASAG/DN No. 1232/2017.  G/SPS/GEN/2048  
 
- 2 - 
 
  6.  It should be noted that Peru received this information from Bolivia2 and carried out an exhaustive 
review of the standards, with a verification by Peru showing that none of them had been notified 
beforehand to the WTO SPS Committee in accordance with Article 7 of, and Annex B to, the 
SPS Agreement. Moreover, this ban would  contravene the provisions of Article XI of the GATT 1994 
on the general elimination of quantitative restrictions.  
7.  Lastly, Peru wishes to express once again its deep concern regarding the new information 
received from Bolivia on 10 June 2022 indicating tha t the Bolivian standard according to which only 
eviscerated animals may be marketed entered into force in April 20223, a standard that was not 
notified to this Committee either, in violation of Article 7 of, and Annex B to, the SPS Agreement.  
8.  Based on the  foregoing, Bolivia would be in breach of the provisions of Article XI of the 
GATT  1994, as well as Articles 2, 3, 5, 7 and 8 of, and Annexes B and C to, the SPS Agreement. In 
this connection, we ask Bolivia to rescind any de jure  or de facto  restrictions in place on 
Peruvian  exports of whole trout.  
__________  
 
2 Sanitary regulations issued by SENASAG:  
− Administrative Resolution No. 0143 -2017;  
− Administrative Resolution No. 015 -2018;  
− Administrative Resolution No. 112 -2006;  
− Administrative Resolution No. 012 -2005;  
− Administrative Resolution No. 142 -2017;  
− Administrative Resolution No. 07 -2018.  
3 Administrative Resolution No. 078/2022 approving the se cond edition of the Procedural Manual for the 
Accreditation of Establishments that Produce or Process Livestock Products and By -products to be Exported to 
the Plurinational State of Bolivia.