G/C/W/808   
12 May 2022 
(22-3720) Page: 1/2 
Council for Trade in Goods  Original: Spanish  
 
  
COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS  
PLURINA TIONAL STATE OF BOLIVIA – EXPORT RESTRICTIONS  
ON AGRICULTURAL AND HYDROBIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS1 
Communication from Peru  
The following communication, dated 25 April 2022, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of Peru . 
 
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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. These 
measures have established blockades on the entry into the Bolivian market of the main products 
originating in Peru, such as potatoes and onions, as well as the exportation of whole trout.  
 
2. In this connection, it should be mentioned that Bolivia has impl emented the following 
measures that are in contravention of the provisions of Article XI of the GATT 1994:  
 
a. The Bolivian government authorities, together with the private sector, have made 
short- , medium - and long -term commitments to, inter alia , control and restrict access 
to the Bolivian market for agricultural products by increasing tariffs and imposing non -
tariff restrictive measures such as the operation of quotas ;2 
 
b. The Bolivian health a uthorities have indicated that their regulations only allow for the 
marketing of eviscerated animals and that other types of products could not be accepted 
under its regulatory framework, despite the fact that five years earlier the same 
authorities approv ed a health certificate for the exportation of whole Peruvian trout and 
that there is no technical justification for this ban .3 
 
3. In addition, Bolivia has applied measures that are in contravention of the provisions of the 
Agreement on the Application o f Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement), such as : 
 
a. Failure to grant any phytosanitary permits for the importation of Peruvian agricultural 
products such as potatoes and onions;  
b. Failure to conduct phytosanitary inspections on perishable agricultural products 
originating in Peru ; 
 
1 This statement was delivered by the delegation of Peru during the Council for Trade in Goods meeting 
held on 21 -22 April 2022 , under agenda item 10.  
2 On 21 July 2021, the Bolivian government authorities, represented by the Ministry of Rural 
Development and Lands, the Vice-Ministry for Anti -Smuggling, the Directorate -General for Anti -Smuggling, the 
National Directorate of the National Service for Agricultural Health and Food Safety (SENASAG), and the 
Cochabamba Regional Customs Office, in conjunction with the Federation  of Agricultural Producers of Valle Bajo 
and the Federation of Horticultural Farmers of the Paria and Soracachi Municipality in the Oruro Department, 
signed a memorandum of understanding, as part of which they made short -, medium - and long term 
commitments  to, inter alia , control and restrict access to the Bolivian market for agricultural products by 
increasing tariffs and imposing restrictive non -tariff measures such as the operation of quotas.  
3 CITE/SENASAG/DN N o. 1232/2017 . G/C/W/808  
 
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c. Refusal of the importation of potato consignments without any evidence of a technical 
justification for imposing a ban as an emergency measure;  
 
d. Failure to notify the WTO Committee on Sanitary and Phytosani tary Measures (SPS 
Committee) of the draft regulations that may affect trade.  
 
4. These actions would also be in breach of the bilateral agreements between Peru and Bolivia, 
which include addressing any type of issue relating to bilateral trade in agricult ural products and 
ensuring the issuance of phytosanitary permits and the conducting of phytosanitary inspections at 
the border . 
 
5. In view of the above, and as mentioned in the SPS Committee ,4 Bolivia's actions would 
contravene the provisions of the GATT , the SPS Agreement, and the agreements between both 
Parties. We therefore request Bolivia to rescind any de jure  or de facto  restrictions in place on 
Peruvian exports of perishable goods and whole trout . 
 
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4 Specific trade concern (STC ) raised in the March 2022 SPS Committee and 
document  G/SPS/GEN/1971.